Rabbit Anti-Mouse Mus m 1 Polyclonal Antibody

The incidence of pet allergies has been on the rise over the past few decades, and some important animal-derived allergens are members of the lipocalin family, present in dander, saliva, and urine. In some studies, exposure to high levels of mouse urinary protein (Mus m 1), an allergen that accounts for 27% of the total T-cell response and plays a dominant role in mouse sensitization as well as indicators of croup severity or control, has been associated with sensitization in mice. Mus m 1 Allergens are involved in the transport and metabolism of low molecular lipids and are found in high concentrations in the urine and excreted from the body. It consists of a sequence of 180 amino acids, and its structure, resolved by X-ray diffraction, was found to be in a typical lipocalin conformation, with eight antiparallel β-strands forming a single β-sheet, and an α-helix forming a cavity that surrounds the internal ligand-binding site. In addition, there are several helices and hairpin turns distributed throughout the protein sequence, mainly connecting the β-strands. Functional studies of the cavity enclosed by the ligand-binding site have shown that Mus m 1 is capable of binding 11 ligands, some of which are pheromones, that contact 16 residues with different affinities.

Figure 1. 3D structure of Mus m 1
(Source: Múnera M, et al. 2019)

The high stability and heat-resistant degradation of Mus m 1, with unchanged enzyme activity and sensitizing capacity, has been associated with the achievement of antigenic persistence and the induction of human sensitization to mouse proteins. Immunological characterization identified seven immunodominant epitopes from Mus m 1, an allergen that caused 27% of T cell responses, confirming the dominant role of this allergen in mouse allergy. In addition, when comparing the breadth of epitope reactivity (the number of recognized epitopes), differences in T cell responses to peptides derived from Mus m 1 were found between T cells from patients with asthma and those with rhinitis. These differences may influence the approach to immunotherapy. Cytokine analyses showed that these epitopes induced IL-4, IL-5, IL17, and INF-γ in PBMC from asthma patients. Epitope sequence comparisons show a high degree of conservation between members of different lipocalins. This is important because it suggests that other allergens (dog, cat) may induce or increase allergic reactions in subjects sensitized to mice and suggests that immunotherapy with peptides containing mouse T-cell epitopes may help to alleviate symptoms produced by other allergens.