Determination of microheterogeneous substitution in shrimp tropomyosin and its effect on IgE-binding capacity

Anaphylaxis after Shrimp Intake in a European Pediatric Population: Role of Molecular Diagnostics and Implications for Novel Foods

(1) Background: Tropomyosin is a major cause of shellfish allergy and anaphylaxis triggered by food. It acts as a pan-allergen, inducing cross-reactivity in insects, dust mites, crustaceans, and mollusks. Our study investigates anaphylaxis in children with asthma or atopic diseases after consuming tropomyosin-containing food. (2) Methods: We analyzed the molecular sensitization profiles of pediatric patients at the University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli' from 2017 to 2021, with conditions such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and food allergies. (3) Results: Out of a total of 253 patients aged 1 to 18 years (167 males, 86 females), 21 patients (8.3%) experienced anaphylaxis after shrimp ingestion. All 21 (100%) were sensitized to various tropomyosins: Pen m 1 (100%), Der p 10 (90.5%), Ani s 3 (81%), and Bla g 7 (76.2%). Clinical symptoms included allergic asthma (76.2%), atopic dermatitis (61.9%), urticaria (38.1%), and allergic rhinitis (38.1%). (4) Conclusions: Crustaceans and mollusks are major allergens in Italy and Europe, requiring mandatory declaration on food labels. Italian pediatric patients demonstrated significant anaphylaxis after consuming shrimp, often accompanied by multiple atopic disorders such as asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. Considering the cross-reactivity of tropomyosin among various invertebrates and the emergence of 'novel foods' containing insect flours in Europe, there is ongoing debate about introducing precautionary labeling for these products.

Immunoglobulin E and immunoglobulin G cross-reactive allergens and epitopes between cow milk αS1-casein and soybean proteins

Some infants allergic to cow milk-based formula are also sensitive to soybean-based formula. This paper aimed to explore the association of IgE and IgG cross-reactivity between αS1-casein in cow milk (CM) and soybean proteins. The IgE and IgG cross-reactive allergens and epitopes were identified using sera from infants allergic to CM or mice monoclonal antibodies. The AA sequence alignment was performed using bioinformatics software. Finally, the digestion and heating stability of the cross-reactive allergen were explored by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-PAGE and Western blotting. The results showed that the IgE and IgG cross-reactive allergen was α subunit of β-conglycinin named Gly m Bd 60K. The IgE and IgG epitopes were the sequences at AA 319-341 and AA 164-182. No intact Gly m Bd 60K allergen could be observed after 2 min in simulated gastric fluid by SDS-PAGE. Heating did not change IgE and IgG cross-reactivity by Western blotting. Therefore, the existence of cross-reactivity between CM αS1-casein and soybean proteins possibly contributes to the frequently observed cosensitization for these allergens in cow milk-allergic patients. The same IgE- and IgG-binding epitopes of cross-reactive allergens may provide important information for elucidation of the association between IgG and IgE antibody generation.

Conservation Analysis of B-Cell Allergen Epitopes to Predict Clinical Cross-Reactivity Between Shellfish and Inhalant Invertebrate Allergens

Understanding and predicting an individual's clinical cross-reactivity to related allergens is a key to better management, treatment and progression of novel therapeutics for food allergy. In food allergy, clinical cross-reactivity is observed in patients reacting to unexpected allergen sources containing the same allergenic protein or antibody binding patches (epitopes), often resulting in severe allergic reactions. Shellfish allergy affects up to 2% of the world population and persists for life in most patients. The diagnosis of shellfish allergy is however often challenging due to reported clinical cross-reactivity to other invertebrates including mites and cockroaches. Prediction of cross-reactivity can be achieved utilizing an in-depth analysis of a few selected IgE-antibody binding epitopes. We combined available experimentally proven IgE-binding epitopes with informatics-based cross-reactivity prediction modeling to assist in the identification of clinical cross-reactive biomarkers on shellfish allergens. This knowledge can be translated into prevention and treatment of allergic diseases. To overcome the problem of predicting IgE cross-reactivity of shellfish allergens we developed an epitope conservation model using IgE binding epitopes available in the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource (http://www.iedb.org/). We applied this method to a set of four different shrimp allergens, and successfully identified several non-cross-reactive as well as cross-reactive epitopes, which have been experimentally established to cross-react. Based on these findings we suggest that this method can be used for advanced component-resolved-diagnosis to identify patients sensitized to a specific shellfish group and distinguish from patients with extensive cross-reactivity to ingested and inhaled allergens from invertebrate sources.