Background: Sin a 2 (11S globulin) and Ara h 1 (7S globulin) are major allergens from yellow mustard seeds and peanut, respectively. The ability of these two allergens to interact with lipid components remains unknown.
Objective: To study the capacity of Sin a 2 and Ara h 1 to interact with lipid components and the potential effects of such interaction in their allergenic capacity.
Methods: Spectroscopic and SDS-PAGE binding assays of Sin a 2 and Ara h 1 with different phospholipid vesicles and gastrointestinal and endolysosomal digestions in the presence or absence of lipids were performed. The capacity of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (hmoDCs) to capture food allergens in the presence or absence of lipids, the induced cytokine signature, and the effect of allergens and lipids to regulate TLR2-L-induced NF-kB/AP-1 activation in THP1 cells were analyzed.
Results: Sin a 2 and Ara h 1 bind phosphatidylglycerol (PG) acid but not phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles in a pH-dependent manner. The interaction of these two allergens with lipid components confers resistance to gastrointestinal digestion, reduces their uptake by hmoDCs, and enhances their stability to microsomal degradation. Mustard and peanut lipids favor a proinflammatory environment by increasing the IL-4/IL-10 ratio and IL-1β production by hmoDCs. The presence of mustard lipids and PG vesicles inhibits TLR2-L-induced NF-kB/AP-1 activation in THP1 cells.
Conclusion: Sin a 2 and Ara h 1 interact with lipid components, which might well contribute to explain the potent allergenic capacity of these two clinically relevant allergens belonging to the cupin superfamily.
Keywords: 11S and 7S globulins; allergens; dendritic cells; food allergy; lipid-binding capacity.
© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.