Identification of Mango Cross-Reactive Allergens and Cross-Reactive Linear Epitopes Using Serum from Patients with...

Area of Science:

• Food allergy research
• Immunology
• Proteomics

Background:

• Mango allergy cases are rising despite not being a major FDA-reported allergen.
• Limited data exists on mango's cross-reactive allergens and epitopes.
• Understanding cross-reactivity is crucial for managing food allergies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify potential cross-reactive allergens and linear epitopes in mango.
• To investigate IgE-binding cross-reactivity between mango and other food allergens.
• To characterize novel cross-reactive epitopes using sera from mango-allergic patients.

Main Methods:

• Bioinformatic analysis (BLASTp) to predict cross-reactive allergens.
• Identification of cross-reactive allergens using patient sera.
• Solid-phase peptide synthesis and IgE-binding assays to determine linear epitopes.

Main Results:

• Mango-allergic patient sera showed IgE-binding cross-reactivity with peanut, wheat, cashew, pistachio, and hazelnut allergens.
• Novel cross-reactivity was observed with wheat and hazelnut, previously unreported.
• Specific novel linear epitopes were identified between mango chitinase/wheat Tri a 27 and mango profilin/pistachio Pis v 1.
• Multiple cross-reactive epitopes were mapped between mango profilin and peanut Ara h 5.

Conclusions:

• Mango exhibits significant IgE-mediated cross-reactivity with several common food allergens.
• New cross-reactive linear epitopes have been identified, advancing our understanding of mango allergy.
• These findings have implications for diagnosing and managing mango allergy, especially in patients with multiple food allergies.