Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is a desensitizing treatment for allergic diseases that corrects the underlined pathological immune response to innocuous protein antigens, called allergens. Recombinant allergens employed in the AIT allowed the production of well-defined formulations that possessed consistent quality but were often less efficient than natural allergen extracts. Combining recombinant allergens with an adjuvant or immunomodulatory agent could improve AIT efficacy. This study aimed to perform structural and functional characterization of newly designed recombinant chimera composed of the Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen, and Banana Lectin (BanLec), TLR2, and CD14 binding protein, for the application in AIT. rBet v 1-BanLec chimera was designed in silico and expressed as a soluble fraction in Escherichia coli. Purified rBet v 1-BanLec (33.4 kDa) retained BanLec-associated biological activity of carbohydrate-binding and preserved IgE reactive epitopes of Bet v 1. The chimera revealed secondary structures with predominant β sheets. The immunomodulatory capacity of rBet v 1-BanLec tested on macrophages showed changes in myeloperoxidase activity, reduced NO production, and significant alterations in the production of cytokines when compared to both rBanLec and rBet v 1. Comparing to rBet v 1, rBet v 1-BanLec was demonstrated to be more efficient promoter of IL-10 production as well as weaker inducer of NO production and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα, and IL-6. The ability of rBet v 1-BanLec to promote IL-10 in together with the preserved 3D structure of Bet v 1 part implies that the construct might exert a beneficial effect in the allergen-specific immunotherapy.
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