Comparative study of in vitro digestibility of major allergen, tropomyosin and other proteins between Grass prawn (Penaeus monodon) and Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).
BACKGROUND
Stability in simulated gastric fluid is supposed to be an important parameter for the estimation of food allergenicity. In the present study, the digestive stability of allergenic protein tropomyosin (TM) and other food proteins from Grass prawn and Pacific white shrimp in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) digestion assay system was investigated and comparatively studied by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), western blotting, and inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).


RESULTS
In the SGF system, proteins such as actin and myosin heavy chain (MHC) were rapidly degraded within a short period of time, while TM was relatively resistant to pepsin digestion. In the SIF system, MHC was also easily decomposed, while TM and actin were resistant to digestion. Western blotting using a specific polyclonal antibody against TM indicated that the degradation pattern of shrimp TM by SGF and SIF was almost unaffected by the presence of other myofibrillar proteins. Further study by IgE immunoblotting and inhibition ELISA using sera from crustacean-allergic patients indicated that IgE binding of TM was decreased.


CONCLUSIONS
Proteinase digestion is effective in reducing IgE binding of shrimp TM. It is also of interest to notice that Pacific white shrimp TM had higher digestion stability than Grass prawn TM. However, Pacific white shrimp TM revealed enhanced IgE binding over that of TM from Grass prawn and thus it is possibly more allergenic.
Liu
Guang-Ming
GM
College of Biological Engineering, The Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for Aquaculture and Food Safety, Jimei University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Huang
Yuan-Yuan
YY
Cai
Qiu-Feng
QF
Weng
Wu-Yin
WY
Su
Wen-Jin
WJ
Cao
Min-Jie
MJ
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004063:Digestion / Q000276:immunology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000378:metabolism; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000378:metabolism; D033561:Penaeidae; D010434:Pepsin A / Q000378:metabolism; D017747:Seafood; D014335:Tropomyosin / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
D000199:Actins; D014335:Tropomyosin; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D010434:Pepsin A; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains