Environment-driven immune imprinting shields mice from allergy

A Nature study shows that environmentally rich exposures generate cross-reactive adaptive immune memory in mice, dampening allergic sensitization and anaphylaxis to related antigens. Protection can arise from type I memory or tolerogenic imprinting, is strongly influenced by timing (notably a perinatal window), and extends across diverse antigen spaces, including complex legume exposures—offering a mechanistic link between environment and the rise of allergic disease.