Proteomic screening points to the potential importance of Ara h 3 basic subunit in allergenicity of peanut

Authors: Guo, Baozhu; LIANG, XIANQUIANG - GUANGDONG ACADEMY; Chung, Si Yin; Maleki, Soheila

Submitted to: Inflammation and Allergy-Drug Targets
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/14/2008
Publication Date: 9/1/2008
Citation: Guo, B.Z., Liang, X., Chung, S.Y., Maleki, S.J. 2008. Proteomic screening points to the potential importance of Ara h 3 basic subunit in allergenicity of peanut. Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets. 7(3):163-166

Interpretive Summary: Peanuts have been identified as one of the most allergenic foods with hypersensitivity reactions. Allergic reactions to peanut are often severe and life threatening. Avoiding peanut in food products is difficult because it is used in a wide range of processed foods since peanut products have many health benefits, even thus, complete avoidance of peanut and peanut-containing products by those allergic individuals is the most effective management strategy. The majority of peanut allergens are seed storage proteins which play an important role as sources of nitrogen and amino acids during germination and all 9 peanut allergenic proteins, Ara h 1-9, are recognized in peanuts In this report, we summarize the recent discoveries on the potential importance of peanut allergen Ara h 3 basic subunit, which has been overlooked in early literature, including recent investigations and discoveries made in search peanut genetic diversity in peanut seed proteins, suggesting that Ara h 3 basic subunit may be as important and significant in peanut allergenicity as the acidic subunit. Proteomic analysis of total peanut storage proteins have revealed very limited polymorphic profiles of major proteins in diverse peanut germplasm accessions, and one peanut breeding line ‘GT-C9’ lacking several seed protein peptides in which the missed major protein peptides were basic subunits of Ara h3. One clinic study found a group of children with marked peanut allergy who are specifically sensitized to the basic subunit of Ara h 3. The awareness of potential importance of Ara h 3 basic subunit should be noticed.

Technical Abstract: Peanuts are complex with high protein contents and have been identified as one of the most allergenic foods. In this mini-review, we summarize the recent discoveries on the potential importance of peanut allergen Ara h 3 basic subunit, which has been overlooked in early literature, including recent investigations and discoveries made in search peanut genetic diversity in peanut seed proteins, suggesting that Ara h 3 basic subunit may be as important and significant in peanut allergenicity as the acidic subunit. One effort to alleviate allergy to peanut is to identify peanut germplasm with lower levels of allergens which could be used in conventional breeding to produce a less allergenic peanut cultivar. Proteomic analysis of total peanut storage proteins have revealed very limited polymorphic profiles of major proteins in diverse peanut germplasm accessions. One study reported a peanut breeding line ‘GT-C9’ lacking several seed protein peptides on 2-D PAGE in which the missed major protein peptides were basic subunits of Ara h3. ‘GT-C9’ does not have two major peptides in the basic region of Ara h 3 and exhibited significantly lower levels of IgE binding. One clinic study found a group of children with marked peanut allergy who are specifically sensitized to the basic subunit of Ara h 3. Further studies are needed to investigate the importance of Ara h3 basic subunits in peanut allergenicity.