Evaluation of the potential allergenicity of the enzyme microbial transglutaminase using the 2001 FAO/WHO Decision Tree

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

  • Mona H Pedersen
  • Tine K Hansen
  • Eva Sten
  • Katsuya Seguro
  • Tomoko Ohtsuka
  • Akiko Morita
  • Carsten Bindslev-Jensen
  • Poulsen, Lars K.
All novel proteins must be assessed for their potential allergenicity before they are introduced into the food market. One method to achieve this is the 2001 FAO/WHO Decision Tree recommended for evaluation of proteins from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It was the aim of this study to investigate the allergenicity of microbial transglutaminase (m-TG) from Streptoverticillium mobaraense. Amino acid sequence similarity to known allergens, pepsin resistance, and detection of protein binding to specific serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) (RAST) have been evaluated as recommended by the decision tree. Allergenicity in the source material was thought unlikely, since no IgE-mediated allergy to any bacteria has been reported. m-TG is fully degraded after 5 min of pepsin treatment. A database search showed that the enzyme has no homology with known allergens, down to a match of six contiguous amino acids, which meets the requirements of the decision tree. However, there is a match at the five contiguous amino acid level to the major codfish allergen Gad c1. The potential cross reactivity between m-TG and Gad c1 was investigated in RAST using sera from 25 documented cod-allergic patients and an extract of raw codfish. No binding between patient IgE and m-TG was observed. It can be concluded that no safety concerns with regard to the allergenic potential of m-TG were identified.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftMolecular Nutrition & Food Research
Vol/bind48
Udgave nummer6
Sider (fra-til)434-40
Antal sider7
ISSN1613-4125
DOI
StatusUdgivet - nov. 2004

ID: 50844599