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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 #383483
Research Project: Prevention of Obesity Related Metabolic Diseases by Bioactive Components of Food Processing Waste Byproducts and Mitigation of Food Allergies

Location: Healthy Processed Foods Research

Title: Identification of a novel major allergen in buckwheat seeds: fag t 6

Author
item CHEN, FENG - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item LI, HONG - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item FAN, XIAOJIAO - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item LI, YUELONG - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item ZHANG, CAIYING - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item ZHU, LIXIA - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item HU, JING - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item KOMBE KOMBE, ARNAUD - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item XIE, JIAJIA - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item YIN, DALONG - University Of Science And Technology Of China
item Zhang, Yuzhu
item SUN, JIN-LYU - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item TANG, RUI - Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences
item JIN, TENGCHUAN - University Of Science And Technology Of China

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/12/2021
Publication Date: 6/2/2021
Citation: Chen, F., Li, H., Fan, X., Li, Y., Zhang, C., Zhu, L., Hu, J., Kombe Kombe, A., Xie, J., Yin, D., Zhang, Y., Sun, J., Tang, R., Jin, T. 2021. Identification of a novel major allergen in buckwheat seeds: fag t 6. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c01537.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c01537

Interpretive Summary: Buckwheat is one of the five main allergenic foods (eggs, milk, wheat, buckwheat and peanuts). Oleosin is an important type of allergen in some allergic foods. However, most diagnostic nut and seed extracts are defatted, some patients with food allergies may have a false negative diagnostic result in oleosin in vitro. Recently, we purified and evaluated the allergenicity of buckwheat oleosin-type allergen, Fag t 6, a small family of proteins involved in the formation of buckwheat oil bodies for the first time. Mass spectrometry was used to identify the new allergen-oleosin. Dot blot, Western blot and ELISA test were used to detect the sensitization of the purified natural protein. We use the CD experiment to detect the change of oleosin with temperature to evaluate the thermal stability. ELISA analysis of cross-allergic reactions of buckwheat, wheat, peanut, hazel, quinoa and rice were performed. Western blot results showed that the serum of buckwheat allergic patients responded strongly to an 18 kDa protein. The DNA sequence of tartary buckwheat oleosin was obtained. The oleosin allergen was named as Fag t 6, according to the WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature Subcommittee criteria. We found half of the buckwheat allergic patients' sera had strong reactivity with purified buckwheat Fag t 6. We have identified a novel buckwheat allergen, Fag t 6, which belongs to oleosin, a family of proteins involved in the formation of oil bodies. Wheat has a strong cross-reactivity with buckwheat.

Technical Abstract: Buckwheat mainly grows in the northern hemisphere, and it is becoming more and more popular in the United States. However, buckwheat is also a food that can cause severe reactions in allergic patients. Unlike peanuts and wheat, in which many of the allergens are known, knowledge about the culprits that cause buckwheat allergy is limited. In this study, we have isolated, cloned, and characterized a novel buckwheat allergen, and it has been designated by the WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature Subcommittee as Fag t 6. This is the second allergen identified in Tartary buckwheat, and the results also indicated that wheat has a strong cross-reactivity with buckwheat, although they are not closely related. Further study of this protein may improve diagnostic tests for buckwheat allergies in the future. The reported result may facilitate research to understand the allergenicity of food proteins. The obtained reagents can be used to assess the food allergen cross-reactivity and multiple sensitizations.