title: Comparison of Allergenicity at Gly m 4 and Gly m Bd 30K of Soybean after Genetic Modification.
abstract: Despite rapid growth of genetically modified (GM) crops, effective evaluations of genetic modification on allergenicity are still lacking. Gly m Bd 30K is cross-reactive with cow's milk protein casein, Gly m 4, and with birch pollen allergen Bet v 1. Here we compared the allergenicity between GM and non-GM soybeans with respect to the foci Gly m 4 and Gly m Bd 30K. Recombinant allergens of Gly m Bd 30K and Gly m 4 were generated and polyclonal antibodies raised to identify these two allergenic components in soybeans. GM soybean was first PCR-confirmed using 35S promoter. A total of 20 soybeans (half GM, half non-GM) obtained from a food market were used to assess their allergenicity based on IgE-binding and histamine release. The concentrations of Gly m Bd 30K and Gly m 4 in soybeans were then determined. Most soybean-allergic patients (9 of 10) showed IgE-positive reactions to the allergen of 30 kDa in molecular weight. That allergen turned out to be Glycine max Gly m Bd 30K based on LC-MS/MS analyses. Gly m Bd 30K is therefore the major allergen in the soybean. An increase in the transcription of both the Gly m 4 (stress-induced protein SAM22) and Gly m Bd 28K (soybean allergen precursor) was found after genetic modification. The protein concentrations of Gly m 4 and Gly m Bd 30K were not statistically significant different between non-GM and GM soybeans. There were also no statistical significances between them in the tests of IgE binding and histamine release. In conclusion, soybeans showed similar concentrations of Gly m Bd 30K and Gly m 4 regardless of genetic modification or absence thereof. The allergenicity of both Gly m Bd 30K and Gly m 4 was therefore not altered after genetic modification. Patients showing hypersensitivity to soybeans and who had pre-existing allergy to birch pollen and cow's milk casein might not further increase their allergic reactions following exposures to the GM soybeans.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital , Taichung, Taiwan.|College of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung, Taiwan.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming University , Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jaw-Ji
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital , Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Yun
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College , New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: En-Chih
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8403-3656
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D052179:Antigens, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D006632:Histamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011817:Rabbits; D030262:Soybean Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D052179:Antigens, Plant; C530536:Gly m 4 allergen, Glycine max; C103236:Gly m BD 30K protein, Glycine max; D030262:Soybean Proteins; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D006632:Histamine
keywords: GM soybean; Gly m 4; Gly m Bd 30K; genetically modified (GM); soybean allergy