Annika Scheynius, Professor in Clinical Allergy Research

Johan S Alm, M.D., Ph.D. student, tel 517 76699, fax 33 57 24, email josal@mb.ks.se

Tove Andersson, student, tel 517 76699, fax 33 57 24, email Tove@ibg.uu.se
Javier Avila-Cariño, postdoc, tel 517 73042, fax 33 57 24, email Jaac@mb.ks.se
Åsa Bengtsson, Ph.D. student, tel 517 76696, fax 33 57 24, email asbe@mb.ks.se
Axel Emilson, Ph.D. student, tel 517 76697, fax 33 57 24, email axem @mb.ks.se
Inger Frödin, catering assistant, tel 517 75936, fax 33 57 24
Maria Grylling, research technician, tel 517 75936, email magr@ks.se
Lena Heffler, Ph.D. student, tel 517 76696, fax 33 57 24, email lehe@mb.ks.se
Lena Holm, M.D., Ph.D. student, 796 0700, fax 676 0061, Sophiahemmet
Catharina Johansson, Ph.D. student, tel 729 5936, fax 33 57 24, email cajo@mb.ks.se
Giedre Matuseviciene, M.D., student , 729 5936, fax 33 57 24, email gima@mb.ks.se
Katarina Oxelbeck, secretary, tel 729 4042, fax 33 57 24, email kaox@mb.ks.se
Ardan Patwardhan, postdoc, tel 5177 76699, fax 33 57 24, email arpa@mb.ks.se
Annika Scheynius, professor, tel 517 75934, fax 32 06 42, email asch@mb.ks.se
Anne Svensson, research technician, tel 517 75936, fax 33 57 24, email ansv@mb.ks.se
Maria Tengvall Linder, M.D., Ph.D. student, tel 517 75937, fax 33 57 24, email mate@mb.ks.se
Leon T. van den Broeke, postdoc, tel 517 76699, fax 33 57 24, email leva@mb.ks.se
Ingeborg van der Ploeg, postdoc, tel 517 76641, fax 33 57 24, email ivdp@mb.ks.se
Paul Whitley, postdoc, tel 517 73042, fax 33 57 24, email pawh@mb.ks.se
Arezou Zargari, Ph.D. student, tel 517 76696, fax 33 57 24, email arza@mb.ks.se

Research projects: Allergies and other hypersensitivity reactions currently affect approximately 30% of the population. The aims of the project are 1) to increase understanding of the mechanisms which determine whether an exposed individual will become sensitized or not, 2) to characterize allergens and their interaction with various antigen-presenting cells, 3) to improve methods for diagnosis of allergic and inflammatory diseases, and 4) to provide knowledge on how the body´s own regulatory mechanisms can be used in prevention or therapy. Today we have facilities for immunohisto/cytochemistry, advanced microscopy and image analysis, flow cytometry, different methods for serological analysis, cell culture methods for production of monoclonoal antibodies, T cell clones, EBV transformed B cell lines, measurements of T cell proliferation and cytokine production, methods for characterization of allergens, molecular biology techniques like reverse transcriptase PCR for detection of cytokine mRNA in small tissue samples, cDNA cloning, expression systems for recombinant allergens and facilities for animal experiments.

Research results: We have shown that the confocal microscope is a usefool tool for quantitative and 3-dimensional analysis of Langerhans´cells in the skin and for localization of allergens in mites and yeast cells. In studies on the pathogenic mechanisms for atopic eczema we have found that the yeast, Pityrosporum orbiculare, which is normally present on the skin, can act as an allergen. We have cloned one of the major allergens, Mal f 1, which is a novel protein not present in other yeasts. With confocal microscopy and flow cytometry analysis we have localized this 38 kDa protein to the cell wall and found it exposed on the cell surface. Patients with atopic eczema have a T cell reactivity against P. orbiculare not seen in healthy controls. The majority of P. orbiculare reactive T cell clones established from lesional atopic skin have a Th2-like cytokine profile. We have shown that CD30 can not be used as a marker to identify Th2 cells, which has been claimed by others. Furthermore, we have found that unresponsiveness to an allergen can be induced if cell interactions between the adhesion molecules LFA-1 and ICAM-1 are blocked by monoclonal antibodies during sensitization.

Selected references:

Camp RL, Scheynius A, Johansson C, Pure' E. CD44 is necessary for optimal contact allergic responses but is not required for normal leukocyte extravasation. J. Exp. Med. 178, 497-507, 1993.
Emilson A, Scheynius A. Quantitative and three-dimensional analysis of human Langerhans cells in epidermal sheets and vertical skin selections. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 43, 993-998, 1995.
Bengtsson Å, Johansson C, Tengvall Linder M, Halldén G, van der Ploeg I, Scheynius A. Not only Th2 cells but also Th1 and Th0 cells express CD30 after activation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 58, 683-689, 1995.
Scheynius A, Camp RL, Puré E. Unresponsiveness to 2,4-dinitro-1-fluoro-benzene after treatment with monoclonal antibodies to leukocyte function-associated molecule-1 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 during sensitization. J. Immunol. 156, 1804-1809, 1996.
Tengvall Linder M, Johansson C, Zargari A, Bengtsson Å, van der Ploeg I, Jones I, Härfast B, Scheynius A. Detection of Pityrosporum orbiculare reactive T-cells from skin and blood in atopic dermatitis and characterization of their cytokine profiles. Clin. Exp. Allergy 26, 1286-1297, 1996.
Schmidt M, Zargari A, Holt P, Lindbom L, Hellman U, Whitley P, van der Ploeg I, Härfast B, Scheynius A. The complete cDNA sequence and expression of the first major allergenic protein of Malassezia furfur, Mal f 1. Eur. J. Biochem. 246, 181-185, 1997.