Protein Allergenicity: Mouse Models

As described in previous articles, there is a need to identify and characterize the allergenic potential of novel proteins introduced into genetically modified crop plants. In 1996, a collaboration between the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Allergy and Immunology Institute and the International Food Biotechnology Council (IFBC) outlined the first systematic approach for such allergenicity testing (1). A hierarchical strategy was proposed that incorporated consideration of the serological identity of the protein of interest with known human allergens; examination of amino acid homology with, and=or structural similarity to, allergenic proteins; and measurement of the stability (digestibility) of the protein in a simulated gastric fluid (1–3). It was recognized at the time that there were no suitable animal models that could be used in concert with the approaches summarized above. There has, however, been rapid progress in this area over the past few years, and several methods are now under development based upon measurement of serological responses induced in rats (see Knippels and Penninks, this issue) or in mice, the subject of this article. This progress has been acknowledged recently in a re-evaluation of the 1996 ILSI=IFBC decision tree reported by the joint Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO=WHO) Expert Consultative Committee on the Allergenicity of Foods Derived from Biotechnology (4), which concluded that there is sufficient evidence that some animal models are likely to provide valuable information regarding the potential allergenicity of foods.