IMMUNOCAT—A Data Management System for Epitope Mapping Studies

Figure 1

The allergy epitope mapping research workflow. In this study, allergic and normal donors were enrolled at two clinical sites (University of California, San Diego and National Jewish Medical Research Center). During the clinical interview, donor demographic information and medical history were recorded. Following that, allergen skin tests, hemoglobin test, and blood sample collection were performed. All the data and blood samples were sent to LIAI for further experiments and analyses. At LIAI, blood samples were tested for their immunogenicity (T cell activities) against a selected panel of peptides derived from common human allergens by ELISPOT assays [20] (T cell assays). Concurrently, the selected peptides were tested for their binding capacities to a set of common MHC molecules [21]. Peptide binding to MHC molecules is a necessary, but not sufficient, requirement for T cell recognitions [22]. Blood samples were also sent to an external company for radioallergosorbent (RAST) and human leukocyte antigens (HLA) typing test. The RAST test detects the amount of the IgE antibody in the blood that reacts with a specific allergen [23]. HLA typing determines the specific HLA types expressed by the donor, which is an indication of MHC restriction [24, 25]. The figure of skin test was adapted from the Wikimedia Commons file “File:Allergy_skin_testing.jpg”. The figure of HLA typing was adapted from the Wikimedia Commons file “File:HLA.jpg”.