A genetic engineering strategy to eliminate peanut allergy.
Peanut allergy is an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reaction with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Despite its seriousness, to date, there is no cure. Genetic engineering strategies can provide a solution. The post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) model can be used effectively to knock out the production of allergenic proteins in peanut by specific degradation of the endogenous target messenger RNA (mRNA). Ara h 2, the most potent peanut allergenic protein, was selected as a model to demonstrate the feasibility of this concept. Transgenic peanut plants were produced via microprojectile-mediated transformation of peanut embryos using a plasmid construct, which contains a fragment of the coding region of Ara h 2 linked to an enhanced CaMV 35S constitutive promoter. Molecular analyses, including polymerase chain reaction and Southern blots, confirmed the presence of the stable integration of the Ara h 2 transgene into the peanut genome. Northern hybridization showed the expression of the Ara h 2 transgene in all vegetative tissues of the mature transgenic peanut plants, indicating the stable expression of the truncated Ara h 2 transgene throughout the development of the plants. It is, therefore, reasonable to expect that the truncated Ara h 2 transgene transcripts will be synthesized in the seeds and will trigger the specific degradation of endogenous Ara h 2 mRNA. The next step will be to grow the transgenic peanut plants to full maturity for seed production and to determine the level of allergen Ara h 2.
Dodo
Hortense
H
Food Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Food & Animal Sciences, PO Box 1628, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL 35762, USA. hortense.dodo@email.aamu.edu
Konan
Koffi
K
Viquez
Olga
O
D010367:Arachis / Q000276:immunology*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D021183:Peanut Hypersensitivity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger