Dr. Diana Mittag PhD

Current Position:
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Allergy Research Laboratory

Phone:
+ 61 3 9903 0631

Facsimile:
+ 61 3 9903 0038

Email:
diana.mittag@med.monash.edu.au

Office and Lab:
Department of Immunology
Level 2, Monash University Building, AMREP
Commercial Road
Melbourne 3004

Current Research Focus:
Dr. Diana Mittag is investigating mechanisms of allergic reactions and the effects of allergen-specific immunotherapy on the T cell response. Her research is focusing on subsets of regulatory T cells and NKT cells in patients with rye grass pollen allergy. In a related project, Diana is studying the role of non-allergen components of grass pollen such as LPS and lipids in allergic reactions. Surface marker and intracellular cytokine staining of freshly isolated and antigen-stimulated PBMC for multicolour flow cytometry analysis, and real time PCR for measuring the mRNA expression of the transcription factor Foxp3 and the cytokines IL-10 and TGF-beta are tools she is utilising in her research.

She still applies her protein chemistry background in the investigation of Bahia grass pollen allergens in collaboration with Dr. Janet Davis, where grass pollen allergens are identified using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis in combination with western blotting and serum IgE detection.

Research Background:
Diana studied Food Chemistry at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, where she developed a strong interest in adverse reactions to food, and particularly food allergy. She did her diploma thesis in this research area at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Langen, Germany. She investigated the correlation between different clinical forms of wheat allergy (baker’s asthma, food allergy, wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis) and IgE-reactivity to wheat allergens of different solubility and stability to digestion.

In her PhD thesis, Diana demonstrated the existence of birch pollen-associated food allergy to legumes, which is mediated by food proteins (Gly m 4, Ara h 8 and Vig r 1) that are cross-reacting with the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1. She identified the new legume allergens Ara h 8 (peanut) and Vig r 1 (mungbean seedlings), expressed the recombinant allergens in E. coli and purified them by FPLC and preparative SDS-PAGE. The recombinant allergens allow an increased sensitivity compared to commercially available diagnostic tests in order to reliably detect IgE against the Bet v 1-homologous allergens. Diana identified patients with the respective food allergies by conducting double blind, placebo controlled food challenges (DBPCFC) with the support of the Allergy Unit in the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland. She characterised these patients’ serum IgE reactivity to the Bet v 1 homologous allergens, using enzyme allergo sorbent test (EAST) and western blot inhibition assays.

As cross-reactivity of IgE antibodies with different allergens is a key concept underlying birch pollen-associated food allergy, another part of the PhD thesis was to study the interaction between the binding sites of IgE antibodies and the IgE epitopes on the allergen surface. The IgE-cross-reactivity of the studied patients by cross competitive ELISA. During a research stay with the Allergy Group at Novozymes (Bagsvaerd, Denmark) she learned the technique of competitive immunoscreening of a phage-displayed peptide library with serum IgE and applied it to study cross-reactivity between Bet v 1 and Bet v 1-homologous food allergens.

Selected Publications:
1. Mittag D, Batori V, Neudecker P, Wiche R, Friis EP, Ballmer-Weber BK, Vieths S, Roggen EL: Novel approach for investigation of cross-reactivity and IgE epitopes of Bet v 1 and homologous food allergens in individual patients. Molecular Immunology. 2006; 43(3):268-78.

2. Mittag D, Vieths S, Vogel L, Wagner-Loew D, Starke A, Hunziker P, Becker WM, Ballmer-Weber BK: Birch pollen-related food allergy to legumes: Identification and characterization of the Bet v 1 homologue in mungbean (Vigna radiata), Vig r 1. Clin Exp Allergy. 2005; 35:1049-1055.

3. Mittag D, Niggemann B, Sander I, Reese I, Fiedler EM, Worm M, Vieths S, Reese G: IgE-reactivity of wheat-allergic subjects (baker’s asthma, food allergy, wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis) to wheat protein fractions with different solubility and digestibility. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2004; 48:380-389.

4. Mittag D, Vieths S, Vogel L, Becker WM, Rihs HP, Wuethrich B, Ballmer-Weber BK: Soybean allergy in birch pollen-allergic patients: clinical investigation and molecular characterization of allergens. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004; 113:148-154.

5. Mittag D, Akkerdaas J, Ballmer-Weber BK, Vogel L, Wensing M, Becker WM, Koppelman SJ, Knulst AC, Helbling A, Hefle SL,  van Ree R, Vieths S: Ara h 8, a Bet v 1-homologous allergen from peanut, is a major allergen in patients with combined birch pollen and peanut allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004; 114:1410-1417.

6. Wüthrich B, Mittag D, Ballmer-Weber BK: Pizza: a source of unexpected food allergens – anaphylactic reaction to lupine flour in a pizza dough and in a gingerbread. Allergologie. 2004; 27(12):495-502.