Efficient induction of oral tolerance by fusing cholera toxin B subunit with allergen-specific T-cell epitopes accumulated in rice seed

Cholera toxin B (CTB) subunit is an efficient mucosal carrier molecule for induction of oral tolerance to antigens and allergens. Here, T-cell epitopes of Cry j 1 and Cry j 2, major allergens in Japanese cedar pollen, were expressed in rice seed as a fusion protein with either CTB or rice glutelin as a control. Feeding mice with rice seed containing CTB-fused T-cell epitopes suppressed allergen-specific IgE responses and pollen-induced clinical symptoms at 50-fold lower doses of T-cell epitopes than required when using control seed. Our findings present a novel potential strategy for immunotherapy of type-I allergy.