Serum testing of genetically modified soybeans with special emphasis on potential allergenicity of the heterologous protein CP4 EPSPS

Roundup Ready soy contains the CP4-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (CP4 EPSPS) protein. Serum IgE from two distinct populations of soy-allergic patients were recruited to determine their IgE-binding specificity. One population consisted of 10 adult patients from Europe, whose primary diagnosis was soy food allergy with some also having mite allergy. In addition, 6 primarily mite-allergic, 6 food-allergic (celery, carrot, milk, shrimp, walnut, and apple), and 5 non-allergic patients were tested. Another population consisted of 13 children from Korea, whose primary diagnosis was atopic dermatitis and secondarily soy and egg sensitization. In addition, 11 non-allergic patients were tested. Each patient population was extensively characterized with respect to clinical symptoms, specific IgE (CAP) scores, and total IgE. Immunoblots and ELISA assays were developed using serum IgE from these patients and soy extracts, CP4 EPSPS, rice extract, ovalbumin, rubisco, purified major peanut allergen Ara h 2, the putative soy allergen Gly m Bd 30k and mite allergen Der f 2 proteins as the intended targets. Immunoblot results indicated that soy-allergic patients bound soy extracts but did not specifically bind rubisco or CP4 EPSPS. ELISA results were in general agreement with the immunoblot results except that rubisco bound significant quantities of serum IgE from some patients. These results indicate that the CP4 EPSPS protein does not bind significant quantities of IgE from two geographically distinct sensitive populations and there is no evidence for an increased allergenic potential of this biotech protein.     

Diagnosis,Classification and Management of Mast Cell Activation Syndromes (MCAS) in the Era of Personalized Medicine

Mast cell activation (MCA) is seen in a variety of clinical contexts and pathologies, including IgE-dependent allergic inflammation, other immunologic and inflammatory reactions, primary mast cell (MC) disorders, and hereditary alpha tryptasemia (HAT). MCA-related symptoms range from mild to severe to life-threatening. The severity of MCA-related symptoms depends on a number of factors, including genetic predisposition, the number and releasability of MCs, organs affected, and the type and consequences of comorbid conditions. In severe systemic reactions, MCA is demonstrable by a substantial increase of basal serum tryptase levels above the individual’s baseline. When, in addition, the symptoms are recurrent, involve more than one organ system, and are responsive to therapy with MC-stabilizing or mediator-targeting drugs, the consensus criteria for the diagnosis of MCA syndrome (MCAS) are met. Based on the etiology of MCA, patients can further be classified as having i) primary MCAS where KIT-mutated, clonal, MCs are detected; ii) secondary MCAS where an underlying IgE-dependent allergy or other reactive MCA-triggering pathology is found; or iii) idiopathic MCAS, where neither a triggering reactive state nor KIT-mutated MCs are identified. Most severe MCA events occur in combined forms of MCAS, where KIT-mutated MCs, IgE-dependent allergies and sometimes HAT are detected. These patients may suffer from life-threatening anaphylaxis and are candidates for combined treatment with various types of drugs, including IgE-blocking antibodies, anti-mediator-type drugs and MC-targeting therapy. In conclusion, detailed knowledge about the etiology, underlying pathologies and co-morbidities is important to establish the diagnosis and develop an optimal management plan for MCAS, following the principles of personalized medicine.     

酪蛋白糖巨肽对花生过敏原免疫反应性的影响

目的 探究酪蛋白糖巨肽与花生过敏原相互作用并降低其免疫反应性的潜力。方法 通过蛋白-蛋白分子对接技术探讨酪蛋白糖巨肽(casein glycomacropeptides, CGMP)与Ara h1、Ara h2是否有相互作用的潜力。进一步通过混合水浴加热制备CGMP与花生蛋白的混合溶液(mixed solution of casein glycomacropeptides and peanut proteins, MCGP),建立MCGP致敏、花生蛋白激发的BALB/c小鼠模型,研究MCGP对花生过敏反应的影响。最后使用圆二色谱法研究酪蛋白糖巨肽与Ara h1、Ara h2的相互作用力及对其结构的影响。结果 CGMP与Ara h1、Ara h2间存在次级键(盐桥、氢键、范德华力),部分作用于过敏原表位;MCGP致敏组血清中的花生蛋白特异性免疫球蛋白E(Specific immunoglobulin E, sIgE)、sIgG₁、sIgG_2a含量显著下降,白介素-4(interleukin-4, IL-4)、IL-5、转化生长因子-β(transforming growth factor-β, TGF-β)、组胺水平显著下降,肿瘤坏死因子-α(tumor necrosis factor-α, TNF-α)水平显著升高, MCGP中Ara h2的α-螺旋与β-折叠的比例改变。结论 CGMP能够改变Ara h2的结构,遮蔽花生过敏原表位,抑制sIgE、sIgG结合Ara h1、Ara h2,降低部分花生过敏原的免疫反应性。     

In silico predictability of allergenicity: from amino acid sequence via 3-D structure to allergenicity

In relation to the prediction of allergenicity three aspects have to be discussed: IgE immunogenicity, IgE cross-reactivity, and T-cell cross-reactivity. IgE immunogenicity depends largely on factors other than the protein itself: the context and dose and "history" of the protein by the time it reaches the immune system. It is, therefore, not fully predictable from structural information. In contrast, IgE cross-reactivity can be much more reliably assessed by in-silico homology searches in combination with in vitro IgE antibody assays. The in-silico homology search is unlikely to miss potential cross-reactivity with sequenced allergens. So far, no biologically relevant cross-reactivity at the antibody level has been demonstrated between proteins without easily demonstrable homology. T-cell cross-reactivity is much more difficult to predict than B-cell cross-reactivity. Moreover, its effects are more diverse. Yet, pre-existing cross-reactive T-cell activity is likely to influence the outcome not only of the immune response, but also of the effect phase of the allergic reaction. The question of whether any antigen can be allergenic is still a matter of debate.     

Development of a Biological Assay to Determine the Allergenic Potential of Foods

Food allergies represent a risk for many people in industrialized countries. Unrecognizable allergenic proteins of foodstuffs may be present as ingredients that are not labeled or as unknown cross-contamination. Such hidden allergens can cause severe reactions in allergics, even at minute quantities, sometimes with fatal outcome. For the verification of the presence of allergenic food constituents, analytical methods such as ELISA and PCR have been developed. However, these tests cannot measure allergenic potential. For this reason, a test system that measures the biological activity of allergens has been developed. It is based on the cellular mechanisms of the type I allergy. Rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3) were transfected with the genes of the human high affinity receptor for IgE. The resulting cell line expressed the human receptor α-chain and could bind allergenspecific IgE from allergic subjects, in contrast to the parent cell line. After cross-linking of receptor-bound, allergen-specific human IgE by allergens, the cells released measurable inflammatory mediators. These cells were used for the analysis of a variety of allergen extracts, including extracts prepared from foods containing allergenic hazelnut and peanut. The comparative validation with existing ELISA and PCR for hazelnut and peanut demonstrated similar sensitivity and specificity. The established cell line will be a novel tool in the detection of allergens in complex mixtures, especially to address the issue of their allergenic potential, which cannot be accomplished by classical analytical methods. This will add valuable information about the allergenic potential of food constituents to the risk assessment of foods.

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Zusammenfassung. Allergene Lebensmittelbestandteile stellen für viele Nahrungsmittelallergiker in industrialisierten L?ndern ein reales Gesundheitsrisiko dar, wenn sie als nicht deklarierte Zutaten oder unerkannte Kontaminationen in Lebensmitteln enthalten sind. Diese so genannten versteckten Allergene k?nnen, teilweise in geringsten Mengen, schwere Reaktion bei sensibilisierten Personen auszul?sen, manchmal auch mit t?dlichem Ausgang. Zum Nachweis allergener Lebensmittelbestandteile wurden bereits verschiedene analytische Methoden, wie z. B. ELISA- und PCR-Verfahren, entwickelt. Allerdings sind diese Methoden nicht in der Lage, das allergene Potenzial solcher Bestandteile zu erfassen. Um jedoch die biologische Aktivit?t von Allergenen messen zu k?nnen wurde ein Testsystem entwickelt, das auf dem Mechanismus der Typ-I Allergie basiert. Dazu wurden basophile Leuk?miezellen der Ratte mit den Genen des humanen hochaffinen Rezeptors für IgE transfiziert. Die daraus resultierende Zelllinie exprimiert einen chim?ren Rezeptor (mit der IgE-bindenden humanen α-Kette) stabil auf ihrer Oberfl?che und ist somit in der Lage, auch allergenspezifisches IgE aus Allergikerseren zu binden, was mit der Ausgangszelllinie nicht m?glich ist. Die Vernetzung des rezeptorgebundenen IgEs durch das Allergen führt in der Folge zur Freisetzung entzündungsausl?sender Mediatoren, die im Zellkulturüberstand gemessen werden k?nnen. Diese transfizierte Zelllinie wurde zur Analyse einer Vielzahl von Allergenextrakten eingesetzt, darunter auch Extrakte von Lebensmitteln, die Haselnuss- oder Erdnussallergene enthielten. Der Vergleich des biologischen Testsystems mit den ELISA- und PCR-Verfahren für Hasel- und Erdnuss ergab eine ?hnliche Sensitivit?t und Spezifit?t. Die etablierte Zelllinie ist ein neues, wertvolles Hilfsmittel für den Nachweis von Allergenen in komplexen, zusammengesetzten Lebensmitteln und im Besonderen zur Erfassung des allergenen Potenzials solcher Nahrungsmittelbestandteile. Somit kann dieses neue Nachweisverfahren helfen, zus?tzliche wichtige Informationen für die Risikobewertung von Lebensmitteln zu gewinnen.

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Polyphenol oxidase/caffeic acid may reduce the allergenic properties of peanut allergens

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) catalyzes the oxidation of tyrosine residues of proteins and, therefore, their cross‐linking. Previously we demonstrated that cross‐links produced by peroxidase (POD), which also catalyzes tyrosine oxidation, led to a reduction in the allergenic properties of peanut allergens. 11 We postulated in this study that PPO can also reduce the allergenic properties by cross‐linking the allergens. Because caffeic acid, a phenolic compound, can cross‐link proteins, its effect on peanut allergens was also examined. In the experiments, peanut extracts were treated with and without PPO, PPO/caffeic (pH 8, 37 °C for 1 h) and caffeic acid (pH 10.5, overnight), respectively. The samples were then analyzed for cross‐links and IgE binding by SDS‐PAGE, Western blots, and competitive inhibition ELISA. Results showed that, in all cases, cross‐links and a decrease of the levels of two peanut major allergens, Ara h 1 and Ara h 2, were observed. Of the three treatments, PPO/caffeic was the most effective in reducing IgE binding or the allergenic properties of peanut allergens. The availability of tyrosine residues was also demonstrated in a POD‐treated system, using a monoclonal antibody against dityrosine. We concluded that PPO/caffeic acid reduced the allergenic properties of Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 by cross‐linking and decreasing the levels of allergens. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

In vivo study of antiallergenicity of ethanol extracts from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sargassum tenerrimum</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sargassum cervicorne</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sargassum graminifolium turn</Emphasis>

Food allergy has becoming the serious threat in the world for which the search of an effective anti-allergic drug is the demand of time. Keeping in view of the potentiality of seaweeds, the ethanol extracts from Sargassum tenerrimum (ST), Sargassum cervicorne (SC), and Sargassum graminifolium turn (SG) have been studied in vivo for its antiallergenicity through passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) and active cutaneous anaphylaxis (ACA) in female BALB/c mice. Intraperitoneal administration of these ethanol extracts inhibit mouse PCA and ACA in a dose-dependent manner using ovalbumin (OVA) and shrimp allergen as triggering agents to induce allergenicity over mice. The extract of ST containing phlorotannin has been found most active over the suppression of PCA triggered by OVA and shrimp with IC₅₀ values of 25.64 and 40.98 mg/kg, respectively and an efficacy comparable to that of an anti-allergic drug disodiumcromoglycate. Similarly, ST inhibits ACA triggered by ova and shrimp allergen in the mouse, with 50% suppression at 25.5 and 43.53 mg/kg, respectively. The results presented here show that these extracts are active on the studied models among which ethanol extract of ST was the most potent, leading toward the promising development of a new class of anti-allergic drugs.     

不同加工方式降低大黄鱼鱼卵过敏原及其 消化产物免疫反应性的比较研究

目的 本文以大黄鱼鱼卵为原料, 分析比较不同加工方式对大黄鱼鱼卵过敏原及其消化产物免疫反应性的影响。方法 采用不同加工方式(美拉德反应, 紫外照射, 超声联合加热, 高温高压)处理卵黄蛋白,制备粗提物并进行模拟胃肠液二相消化实验, 利用免疫印迹及抑制性ELISA方法对粗提物及消化产物中过敏原的IgG/IgE结合活性进行分析。结果 分析不同加工方式处理后卵黄蛋白中过敏原的IgG结合活性, 结果发现当抗体稀释倍数为4×10₄时, 检测不到美拉德反应产物与抗体发生特异性结合, 而经后三种物理加工方式处理后的粗提物均与抗体有不同程度的免疫反应。此外, 分析加工处理及其消化产物中过敏原与患者血清的IgE结合活性, 结果显示经不同加工方式处理后, 仅有美拉德反应产物的抑制率低于50%; 经高温高压处理的粗提物抑制率为65%, 但消化后其抑制率降至20%以下。结论 在4种不同的加工方式中, 美拉德反应能有效地降低大黄鱼鱼卵中过敏原的IgG/IgE结合活性, 超声联合加热及高温高压处理明显减弱过敏原消化产物的IgE结合活性, 紫外照射对过敏原的影响不明显。