Allergy Screen

Coordinator:		Prof. Dr. Markus Ollert
Institution:		Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie, TU München
Homepage:		www.zaum-online.de/

Atopy is defined as a familial tendency to develop characteristic IgE-mediated allergic diseases. The prevalence of atopic diseases (atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis) has increased to approx. 30%. The human genetic background together with environmental factors is thought to be responsible for this almost epidemic increase of IgE-mediated allergies. However, the precise function and linkage to allergic diseases has only been provided for a limited number of individual genes so far.
The fundamental goal of the allergy screen within the German Mouse Clinic (GMC) was therefore the identification of genetically engineered mice which show an allergic phenotype.  The Allergy screen in the GMC measured  total IgE levels from murine plasma in the primary screen. Moreover a second parameter was measured to determine if a defect of skin barrier in the atopic allergy diseases is present (measurement of the Transepidermal Water Loss /TEWL). Using these approaches, a variety of mutant mouse lines could be detected and characterized. Such animal models are very useful to improve the understanding of the variations in the immune system and the skin or mucosal barrier that underlie the human IgE-mediated allergic diseases.