Food Allergy & Immunology Laboratory, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Cereal Science Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 May 1;21(9):3205. doi: 10.3390/ijms21093205.
Wheat protein is considered a major type of food allergen in many countries including the USA. The mechanisms of allergenicity of wheat proteins are not well understood at present. Both adjuvant-based and adjuvant-free mouse models are reported for this food allergy. However, it is unclear whether the mechanisms underlying wheat allergenicity in these two types of models are similar or different. Therefore, we compared the molecular mechanisms in a novel adjuvant-free (AF) model vs. a conventional alum-adjuvant (AA) model of wheat allergy using salt-soluble wheat protein (SSWP). In the AF model, Balb/cJ mice were sensitized with SSWP via skin exposure. In the AA model, mice were sensitized by an intraperitoneal injection of SSWP with alum. In both models, allergic reactions were elicited using an identical protocol. Robust IgE as well as mucosal mast cell protein-1 responses were elicited similarly in both models. However, an analysis of the spleen immune markers identified strikingly different molecular activation patterns in these two models. Furthermore, a number of immune markers associated with intrinsic allergenicity were also identified in both models. Since the AF model uses skin exposure without an adjuvant, the mechanisms in the AF model may more closely simulate the human wheat allergenicity mechanisms from skin exposure in occupational settings such as in the baking industry.
小麦蛋白被认为是包括美国在内的许多国家的主要食物过敏原之一。目前，人们对小麦蛋白的致敏机制还不太了解。已有报道称，针对这种食物过敏，既有基于佐剂的小鼠模型，也有无佐剂的小鼠模型。然而，尚不清楚这两种模型中导致小麦致敏的机制是否相似或不同。因此，我们使用盐溶性小麦蛋白（SSWP）比较了新型无佐剂（AF）模型与传统氢氧化铝佐剂（AA）模型中与小麦过敏相关的分子机制。在 AF 模型中，Balb/cJ 小鼠通过皮肤暴露致敏 SSWP。在 AA 模型中，通过 SSWP 与氢氧化铝的腹腔内注射来致敏小鼠。在这两种模型中，均使用相同的方案引发过敏反应。在这两种模型中，均能引发强烈的 IgE 以及黏膜肥大细胞蛋白-1 反应。然而，对脾免疫标志物的分析表明，这两种模型中的分子激活模式存在显著差异。此外，在这两种模型中还鉴定出了一些与内在致敏性相关的免疫标志物。由于 AF 模型使用无佐剂的皮肤暴露，因此该模型中的机制可能更能模拟人类在职业环境中（例如烘焙行业）通过皮肤接触引起的小麦致敏机制。
