The cat protein Fel d 1 is what triggers rashes and wheezing in allergy sufferers. While some companies are trying to genetically engineer cats to eliminate the protein, Andrew Saxon’s team at the University of California at Los Angeles may have come up with a less drastic solution. By fusing the feline protein with a human one known to suppress allergic reactions, he has managed to stifle cat allergy in mice.
The feline part of the “chimeric” protein binds to the specific immune cells that generate the allergic reaction to Fel d 1. “We attached to the cat part a human part which says ‘stop’ to the cells,” Saxon says. He likens the cat protein to a “gas pedal” that triggers the release of inflammatory chemicals, and the human half to a brake. Although both parts bind to the cell, the “brake” signal dominates (Nature Medicine, DOI: 10.1038/nm1219).
If the trick works in humans too, the chimeric protein might provide a safe way of gradually retraining the immune system to tolerate Fel d 1. Saxon hopes to test it in clinical trials.