Epithelial Permeability to Ole e 1 Is More Dependent on the Functional State of the Bronchial Epithelium Than on the Activity of Der p 1 Protease Acting as an Adjuvant to the Bystander Allergen.

Abstract

A dysfunctional epithelial barrier has been widely associated with allergy [1], although it is not clearly established whether this dysfunction is the cause or a consequence of the disease. Moreover, airway epithelial barrier integrity can be impaired by environmental proteases—mostly allergens—derived from a wide variety of biological sources such as mites, cockroaches, food plants, fungi, and pollens [2,3]. These allergens include cysteine proteases, which are potent adjuvants for promoting type 2 helper T-cell immune responses in the airways. Although it is well known that the cysteine protease Der p 1, a major allergen from house dust mite, exerts various effects on the airway epithelium that could contribute to allergic airway diseases [4-6], the cleavage of tight junction (TJ) proteins was the first activity described for it [5].