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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324341
Research Project: Defining, Measuring, and Mitigating Attributes that Adversely Impact the Quality and Marketability of Foods

Location: Healthy Processed Foods Research

Title: New tree nut allergens

Author
item Zhang, Yuzhu
item Du, Wen-Xian
item LEE, BORAM - University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
item FAN, YUTING - Jiangnan University
item LYU, SHU-CHAN - Stanford University
item NADEAU, KARI - Stanford University
item McHugh, Tara

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/10/2016
Publication Date: 3/14/2016
Citation: Zhang, Y., Du, W., Lee, B., Fan, Y., Lyu, S., Nadeau, K.C., McHugh, T.H. 2016. New tree nut allergens. Meeting abstract presented at the 251st American Chemical Society Annual Meeting & Exposition. San Diego, CA., March 13-17, 2016.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The 7S vicilin and 11S legumin seed storage globulins belong to the cupin protein superfamily and are major food allergens in many of the “big eight” food allergen groups. Korean pine vicilin and pecan vicilin are thus predicted to be food allergens. Recombinant vicilins were expressed in E. coli and purified. Their recognition by food allergy patient sera and the recognition patterns of urea extracts of pine nut and pecan by the same sera were analyzed by western blot. The results indicated that both the recombinant and native vicilins of Korean pine nut and pecan reacted with IgE in sera of patients with pine nut and pecan allergies, respectively. This demonstrated, for the first time, that vicilins of Korean pine and of pecan are indeed food allergens. Further studies are needed to understand the allergenicity of these copper binding seed storage proteins in tree nuts.