title: Amblyomma sculptum tick saliva: α-Gal identification, antibody response and possible association with red meat allergy in Brazil.
abstract: The anaphylaxis response is frequently associated with food allergies, representing a significant public health hazard. Recently, exposure to tick bites and production of specific IgE against α-galactosyl (α-Gal)-containing epitopes has been correlated to red meat allergy. However, this association and the source of terminal, non-reducing α-Gal-containing epitopes have not previously been established in Brazil. Here, we employed the α-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout mouse (α1,3-GalT-KO) model and bacteriophage Qβ-virus like particles (Qβ-VLPs) displaying Galα1,3Galβ1,4GlcNAc (Galα3LN) epitopes to investigate the presence of α-Gal-containing epitopes in the saliva of Amblyomma sculptum, a species of the Amblyomma cajennense complex, which represents the main tick that infests humans in Brazil. We confirmed that the α-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout animals produce significant levels of anti-α-Gal antibodies against the Galα1,3Galβ1,4GlcNAc epitopes displayed on Qβ-virus like particles. The injection of A. sculptum saliva or exposure to feeding ticks was also found to induce both IgG and IgE anti-α-Gal antibodies in α-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout mice, thus indicating the presence of α-Gal-containing epitopes in the tick saliva. The presence of α-Gal-containing epitopes was confirmed by ELISA and immunoblotting following removal of terminal α-Gal epitopes by α-galactosidase treatment. These results suggest for the first known time that bites from the A. sculptum tick may be associated with the unknown etiology of allergic reactions to red meat in Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Nascimento
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Ferreira
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiza C B
authors.initials: LCB
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Craig S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Sanhueza
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Ramon Nascimento
authors.initials: CRN
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maíra Araújo
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Azevedo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Venuto
authors.affiliation: Immunology Research Centre, St. Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Melbourne, VIC 3065, Australia; Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.affiliation: Border Biomedical Research Center, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79912, USA.
authors.forename: Igor C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Finn
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: amarques@icb.ufmg.br.
authors.forename: Alexandre F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Marques
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D005700:Galactosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D000069466:Red Meat / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D013987:Ticks / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D005700:Galactosyltransferases; C047006:N-acetyllactosaminide alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase
keywords: Alpha-Gal; Amblyomma sculptum; IgE; Red meat allergy; Tick saliva
references.citation: Parasitology. 2004;129 Suppl:S67-81
references.pmid: 15938505
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Dec;132(6):1431-1434
references.pmid: 24094548
references.citation: Nature. 2005 Jul 28;436(7050):573-7
references.pmid: 16049492
references.citation: J Clin Oncol. 2007 Aug 20;25(24):3644-8
references.pmid: 17704414
references.citation: Biomacromolecules. 2012 Aug 13;13(8):2339-48
references.pmid: 22830650
references.citation: J Proteomics. 2015 Oct 14;128:58-68
references.pmid: 26189360
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006 Jan;117(1):190-5
references.pmid: 16387605
references.citation: Asia Pac Allergy. 2015 Jan;5(1):3-16
references.pmid: 25653915
references.citation: Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1988;85(2):190-3
references.pmid: 3338859
references.citation: Int J Parasitol. 2014 Dec;44(14):1081-9
references.pmid: 25236961
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Aug 15;88(16):7401-4
references.pmid: 1908095
references.citation: Vaccine. 2009 May 18;27(23):3072-82
references.pmid: 19428921
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 2002 Apr 26;277(17):14996-5001
references.pmid: 11836253
references.citation: BMC Evol Biol. 2013 Dec 09;13:267
references.pmid: 24320199
references.citation: Parasitology. 2004;129 Suppl:S83-94
references.pmid: 15938506
references.citation: Med J Aust. 2009 May 4;190(9):510-1
references.pmid: 19413526
references.citation: J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2012;22(6):446-7
references.pmid: 23101194
references.citation: Transplantation. 1996 Jan 15;61(1):13-9
references.pmid: 8560551
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Mar;84(5):1369-73
references.pmid: 2434954
references.citation: Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2009 Jan 01;14:2051-88
references.pmid: 19273185
references.citation: Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Aug;13(4):354-9
references.pmid: 23743512
references.citation: J Immunol. 2006 Feb 15;176(4):2448-54
references.pmid: 16456004
references.citation: Parasitology. 2009 Oct;136(12):1403-13
references.pmid: 19366480
references.citation: J Pediatr (Rio J). 2004 May-Jun;80(3):203-10
references.pmid: 15192763
references.citation: Vaccine. 2010 Feb 17;28(7):1758-65
references.pmid: 20034607
references.citation: Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2009;48(52):9879-83
references.pmid: 19943299
references.citation: Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2009 Oct;58(10):1545-56
references.pmid: 19184002
references.citation: Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2011 May 13;408(3):405-10
references.pmid: 21513701
references.citation: Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1988;87(2):208-12
references.pmid: 3192308
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Feb;123(2):426-33
references.pmid: 19070355
references.citation: Hautarzt. 2012 Apr;63(4):299-306
references.pmid: 22418768
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 May;127(5):1286-93.e6
references.pmid: 21453959
references.citation: Neurology. 2004 Nov 23;63(10):1898-901
references.pmid: 15557508
references.citation: Mucosal Immunol. 2009 Jan;2(1):24-32
references.pmid: 19079331
references.citation: Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2014 Apr;5(3):252-76
references.pmid: 24556273
references.citation: Blood Cells. 1988;14(1):205-28
references.pmid: 2460163
references.citation: ACS Chem Biol. 2013;8(6):1253-62
references.pmid: 23505965
references.citation: Burns. 2010 Mar;36(2):239-51
references.pmid: 19501971
references.citation: Allergy. 2012 May;67(5):699-704
references.pmid: 22494361
references.citation: Chembiochem. 2007 Aug 13;8(12):1455-62
references.pmid: 17676704
references.citation: Parasitology. 2004;129 Suppl:S161-76
references.pmid: 15940820
references.citation: Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn. 1952;30(2):165-7
references.pmid: 13040870
references.citation: Allergy. 2013 Apr;68(4):549-52
references.pmid: 23414348
references.citation: Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2009;327:1-21
references.pmid: 19198568
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1988 Nov 25;263(33):17755-62
references.pmid: 2460463
references.citation: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2002 Dec;97(8):1133-6
references.pmid: 12563479
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1995 Sep 15;270(37):21437-40
references.pmid: 7545161
references.citation: J Parasitol. 1967 Oct;53(5):1106-7
references.pmid: 6062065
references.citation: Immunol Cell Biol. 2005 Dec;83(6):674-86
references.pmid: 16266320
references.citation: Clin Transl Allergy. 2012 Dec 20;2(1):25
references.pmid: 23256652
references.citation: Parasitology. 2004;129 Suppl:S15-36
references.pmid: 15938503
references.citation: Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2010 Dec 10;49(50):9648-51
references.pmid: 21064070
references.citation: Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2015 Mar-Apr;43(2):185-95
references.pmid: 24207003
references.citation: Nat Rev Immunol. 2008 Mar;8(3):205-17
references.pmid: 18301424