Development and regulation of immune responses to food antigens in pre- and postnatal life.

Food antigens are harmless environmental components. The physiological response is the development of clinical and immunological tolerance. It is now well appreciated that tolerance development is the result of active immunoregulation and depends on a close interaction between the innate and adaptive immune system resulting in the development of tolerance-mediating T-cell responses. Programming of the immune system, particularly with regard to tolerance development, already starts before birth and stays under close control of the maternal immune system. Therefore, the pre-and postnatal period represents an important 'window of opportunity' for immunoprogramming. Underlying mechanisms include maternal cell transmission, antibody transfer, transfer of mediates/cytokines, and transmission of antigens and allergens. Immunoprogramming is fostered and augmented in the context of microbial components. Recently, several microbes have been identified which possess the capacity of immunoprogramming early in life. Epigenetic regulation represents an important novel mechanism in this regard. This concept opens new avenues for the development of preventive strategies to avoid inappropriate immune responses against food antigens.