Abstract
A large number of food allergens able to induce allergic symptoms in predisposed individuals, including severe, even life-threatening reactions, have been identified and characterized. However, proteins able to cause such IgE-mediated reactions can be assigned to only a limited number of protein families. Detailed knowledge about the characteristics of food allergens, their 3D structures, biological activity and stability, will help to improve diagnosis of food allergy, avoid unnecessary exclusion diets and assess the risk of cross-reactive allergies to other food sources. This review is dedicated to summarizing current knowledge about the most important food allergen protein families and to presenting data from the EuroPrevall allergen library, a proof-of-concept collection of highly purified, characterized and authenticated food allergens from animal and plant food sources to facilitate improved diagnosis of food allergies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Rona RJ, Keil T, Summers C, Gislason D, Zuidmeer L, Sodergren E, Sigurdardottir ST, Lindner T, Goldhahn K, Dahlstrom J, McBride D, Madsen C (2007) J Allergy Clin Immunol 120:638–646
Chapman MD, Pomes A, Breiteneder H, Ferreira F (2007) J Allergy Clin Immunol 119:414–420
Jenkins JA, Griffiths-Jones S, Shewry PR, Breiteneder H, Mills EN (2005) J Allergy Clin Immunol 115:163–170
Radauer C, Breiteneder H (2006) J Allergy Clin Immunol 117:141–147
Jenkins JA, Breiteneder H, Mills EN (2007) J Allergy Clin Immunol 120:1399–1405
Radauer C, Bublin M, Wagner S, Mari A, Breiteneder H (2008) J Allergy Clin Immunol 121:847–852
Stadler MB, Stadler BM (2003) FASEB J 17:1141–1143
Soeria-Atmadja D, Lundell T, Gustafsson MG, Hammerling U (2006) Nucleic Acids Res 34:3779–3793
Bateman A, Coin L, Durbin R, Finn RD, Hollich V, Griffiths-Jones S, Khanna A, Marshall M, Moxon S, Sonnhammer EL, Studholme DJ, Yeats C, Eddy SR (2004) Nucleic Acids Res 32:D138–D141
Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Mills EN, Vieths S (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S159–S165
Asero R, Ballmer-Weber BK, Beyer K, Conti A, Dubakiene R, Fernandez-Rivas M, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Lidholm J, Mustakov T, Oude Elberink JN, Pumphrey RS, Stahl Skov P, van Ree R, Vlieg-Boerstra BJ, Hiller R, Hourihane JO, Kowalski M, Papadopoulos NG, Wal JM, Mills EN, Vieths S (2007) Mol Nutr Food Res 51:135–147
Sandiford CP, Tatham AS, Fido R, Welch JA, Jones MG, Tee RD, Shewry PR, Newman Taylor AJ (1997) Clin Exp Allergy 27:1120–1129
Palosuo K, Alenius H, Varjonen E, Koivuluhta M, Mikkola J, Keskinen H, Kalkkinen N, Reunala T (1999) J Allergy Clin Immunol 103:912–917
Lombardero M, Garcia-Selles FJ, Polo F, Jimeno L, Chamorro MJ, Garcia-Casado G, Sanchez-Monge R, Diaz-Perales A, Salcedo G, Barber D (2004) Clin Exp Allergy 34:1415–1421
Nakase M, Hotta H, Adachi T, Aoki N, Nakamura R, Masumura T, Tanaka K, Matsuda T (1996) Gene 170:223–226
James JM, Sixbey JP, Helm RM, Bannon GA, Burks AW (1997) J Allergy Clin Immunol 99:239–244
Curioni A, Santucci B, Cristaudo A, Canistraci C, Pietravalle M, Simonato B, Giannattasio M (1999) Clin Exp Allergy 29:407–413
Pastorello EA, Pompei C, Pravettoni V, Farioli L, Calamari AM, Scibilia J, Robino AM, Conti A, Iametti S, Fortunato D, Bonomi S, Ortolani C (2003) J Allergy Clin Immunol 112:775–783
Oberhuber C, Ma Y, Marsh J, Rigby N, Smole U, Radauer C, Alessandri S, Briza P, Zuidmeer L, Maderegger B, Himly M, Sancho AI, van Ree R, Knulst A, Ebner C, Shewry P, Mills EN, Wellner K, Breiteneder H, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Bublin M (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S208–S219
Gaier S, Marsh J, Oberhuber C, Rigby NM, Lovegrove A, Alessandri S, Briza P, Radauer C, Zuidmeer L, van Ree R, Hemmer W, Sancho AI, Mills C, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Shewry PR (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S220–S229
Lauer I, Alessandri S, Pokoj S, Reuter A, Conti A, Vieths S, Scheurer S (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S262–S271
Marsh J, Rigby N, Wellner K, Reese G, Knulst A, Akkerdaas J, van Ree R, Radauer C, Lovegrove A, Sancho A, Mills C, Vieths S, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Shewry PR (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S272–S285
Dunwell JM, Purvis A, Khuri S (2004) Phytochemistry 65:7–17
Leitner A, Jensen-Jarolim E, Grimm R, Wuthrich B, Ebner H, Scheiner O, Kraft D, Ebner C (1998) Allergy 53:36–41
Ahrazem O, Ibanez MD, Lopez-Torrejon G, Sanchez-Monge R, Sastre J, Lombardero M, Barber D, Salcedo G (2006) Int Arch Allergy Immunol 139:96–103
Crespo JF, Retzek M, Foetisch K, Sierra-Maestro E, Cid-Sanchez AB, Pascual CY, Conti A, Feliu A, Rodriguez J, Vieths S, Scheurer S (2006) Mol Nutr Food Res 50:282–290
Mills EN, Jenkins JA, Alcocer MJ, Shewry PR (2004) Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 44:379–407
Rigby NM, Marsh J, Sancho AI, Wellner K, Akkerdaas J, van Ree R, Knulst A, Fernandez-Rivas M, Brettlova V, Schilte PP, Summer C, Pumphrey R, Shewry PR, Mills EN (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S251–S261
Witke W (2004) Trends Cell Biol 14:461–469
Gao ZS, Van de Weg WE, Schaart JG, Van Arkel G, Breiteneder H, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Gilissen LJWJ (2005) Theor Appl Genet 6:1–11
Radauer C, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K (2004) In: Mills E, Shewry P (eds) Plant food allergens. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 105–124
Fedorov AA, Ball T, Mahoney NM, Valenta R, Almo SC (1997) Structure 5:33–45
Luttkopf D, Ballmer-Weber BK, Wuthrich B, Vieths S (2000) J Allergy Clin Immunol 106:390–399
Ballmer-Weber BK, Wangorsch A, Bohle B, Kaul S, Kundig T, Fotisch K, van Ree R, Vieths S (2005) Clin Exp Allergy 35:970–978
Asero R, Mistrello G, Roncarolo D, Amato S, Zanoni D, Barocci F, Caldironi G (2003) J Allergy Clin Immunol 112:427–432
Lopez-Torrejon G, Crespo JF, Sanchez-Monge R, Sanchez-Jimenez M, Alvarez J, Rodriguez J, Salcedo G (2005) Clin Exp Allergy 35:1065–1072
Lopez-Torrejon G, Ibanez MD, Ahrazem O, Sanchez-Monge R, Sastre J, Lombardero M, Barber D, Salcedo G (2005) Allergy 60:1424–1429
Ma Y, Zuidmeer L, Bohle B, Bolhaar ST, Gadermaier G, Gonzalez-Mancebo E, Fernandez-Rivas M, Knulst AC, Himly M, Asero R, Ebner C, van Ree R, Ferreira F, Breiteneder H, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K (2006) Clin Exp Allergy 36:1087–1096
Bublin M, Lauer I, Oberhuber C, Alessandri S, Briza P, Radauer C, Himly M, Breiteneder H, Vieths S, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S241–S250
Radauer C, Lackner P, Breiteneder H (2008) BMC Evol Biol 8:286
van Loon LC, van Strien EA (1999) Phys Mol Plant Pathol 55:85–87
Jarolim E, Rumpold H, Endler AT, Ebner H, Breitenbach M, Scheiner O, Kraft D (1989) Allergy 44:385–395
Gao ZS, van de Weg WE, Schaart JG, Schouten HJ, Tran DH, Kodde LP, van der Meer IM, van der Geest AH, Kodde J, Breiteneder H, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Bosch D, Gilissen LJ (2005) Theor Appl Genet 111:171–183
Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Vanek-Krebitz M, Radauer C, Wen J, Ferreira F, Scheiner O, Breiteneder H (1997) Gene 197:91–100
Saraste M, Sibbald PR, Wittinghofer A (1990) Trends Biochem Sci 15:430–434
Markovic-Housley Z, Degano M, Lamba D, von Roepenack-Lahaye E, Clemens S, Susani M, Ferreira F, Scheiner O, Breiteneder H (2003) J Mol Biol 325:123–133
Schirmer T, Hoffimann-Sommergrube K, Susani M, Breiteneder H, Markovic-Housley Z (2005) J Mol Biol 351:1101–1109
Park CJ, Kim KJ, Shin R, Park JM, Shin YC, Paek KH (2004) Plant J 37:186–198
Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Radauer C (2004) In: Mills E, Shewry P (eds) Plant food allergens. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 125–140
Pons L, Chery C, Romano A, Namour F, Artesani MC, Gueant JL (2002) Allergy 57(Suppl 72):88–93
Akkerdaas JH, Schocker F, Vieths S, Versteeg S, Zuidmeer L, Hefle SL, Aalberse RC, Richter K, Ferreira F, van Ree R (2006) Mol Nutr Food Res 50:18–23
Leduc V, Moneret-Vautrin DA, Tzen JT, Morisset M, Guerin L, Kanny G (2006) Allergy 61:349–356
Hoffmann-Sommergruber K (2000) Int Arch Allergy Immunol 122:155–166
Mauch F, Staehelin LA (1989) Plant Cell 1:447–457
Alenius H, Kalkkinen N, Reunala T, Turjanmaa K, Palosuo T (1996) J Immunol 156:1618–1625
Diaz-Perales A, Sanchez-Monge R, Blanco C, Lombardero M, Carillo T, Salcedo G (2002) Clin Exp Allergy 32:448–454
Leubner-Metzger G, Meins F Jr (1999) In: Datta SK, Muthukrishnan S (eds) Pathogenesis-related proteins in plants. CRC, Boca Raton, pp 49–76
Blanco C, Carrillo T, Castillo R, Quiralte J, Cuevas M (1994) Allergy 49:454–459
Palomares O, Villalba M, Quiralte J, Rodriguez R (2006) Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 97:61–65
Yagami T, Osuna H, Kouno M, Haishima Y, Nakamura A, Ikezawa Z (2002) Int Arch Allergy Immunol 129:27–37
Daniell W (1852) Pharm J 11:445
Fils-Lycaon BR, Wiersma PA, Eastwell KC, Sautiere P (1996) Plant Physiol 111:269–273
Leone P, Menu-Bouaouiche L, Peumans WJ, Payan F, Barre A, Roussel A, Van Damme EJ, Rouge P (2006) Biochimie 88:45–52
Breiteneder H (2004) Allergy 59:479–481
Brown JH, Cohen C (2005) Adv Protein Chem 71:121–159
Jeong KY, Hong CS, Yong TS (2006) Prot Peptide Letters 13:835–845
Albrecht M, Alessandri S, Conti A, Reuter A, Lauer I, Vieths S, Reese G (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S186–S195
Wild LG, Lehrer SB (2005) Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 5:74–79
Hindley J, Wunschmann S, Satinover SM, Woodfolk JA, Chew FT, Chapman MD, Pomes A (2006) J Allergy Clin Immunol 117:1389–1395
Swoboda I, Bugajska-Schretter A, Linhart B, Verdino P, Keller W, Schulmeister U, Sperr WR, Valent P, Peltre G, Quirce S, Douladiris N, Papadopoulos NG, Valenta R, Spitzauer S (2007) J Immunol 178:6290–6296
Ma Y, Griesmeier U, Susani M, Radauer C, Briza P, Erler A, Bublin M, Alessandri S, Himly M, Vazquez-Cortes S, de Arellano IR, Vassilopoulou E, Saxoni-Papageorgiou P, Knulst AC, Fernandez-Rivas M, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Breiteneder H (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S196–S207
Untersmayr E, Poulsen LK, Platzer MH, Pedersen MH, Boltz-Nitulescu G, Skov PS, Jensen-Jarolim E (2005) J Allergy Clin Immunol 115:377–382
Tuinier R, Rolin C, de Kruif CG (2002) Biomacromolecules 3:632–638
Spuergin P, Walter M, Schiltz E, Deichmann K, Forster J, Mueller H (1997) Allergy 52:293–298
Blanc F, Bernard H, Alessandri S, Bublin M, Paty E, Leung SA, Patient KA, Wal JM (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S166–S175
Chapman MD, Wood RA (2001) J Allergy Clin Immunol 107:S414–S421
Bernhisel-Broadbent J, Dintzis HM, Dintzis RZ, Sampson HA (1994) J Allergy Clin Immunol 93:1047–1059
Bernhisel-Broadbent J, Yolken RH, Sampson HA (1991) Pediatrics 87:208–214
Cooke SK, Sampson HA (1997) J Immunol 159:2026–2032
Wal JM (2002) Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 89:3–10
Holen E, Elsayed S (1990) Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 91:136–141
Jacobsen B, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Have TT, Foss N, Briza P, Oberhuber C, Radauer C, Alessandri S, Knulst AC, Fernandez-Rivas M, Barkholt V (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52(Suppl 2):S176–S185
Vieths S, Scheurer S, Reindl J, Luttkopf D, Wangorsch A, Kastner M, Haase T, Haustein D (2001) Allergy 56(Suppl 67):78–82
Akkerdaas JH, Wensing M, Knulst AC, Aalberse RC, Hefle SL, van Ree R (2003) Arb Paul Ehrlich Inst Bundesamt Sera Impfst Frankf 87–95; discussion 6
Garcia A, Wichers JH, Wichers HJ (2007) Food Chem 103:94–100
Lidholm J, Ballmer-Weber BK, Mari A, Vieths S (2006) Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 6:234–240
Valenta R, Twaroch T, Swoboda I (2007) J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 17(Suppl 1):36–40
Steckelbroeck S, Ballmer-Weber BK, Vieths S (2008) J Allergy Clin Immunol 121:1323–1330
Ballmer-Weber BK, Scheurer S, Fritsche P, Enrique E, Cistero-Bahima A, Haase T, Wuthrich B (2002) J Allergy Clin Immunol 110:167–173
Fernandez-Rivas M, Bolhaar S, Gonzalez-Mancebo E, Asero R, van Leeuwen A, Bohle B, Ma Y, Ebner C, Rigby N, Sancho AI, Miles S, Zuidmeer L, Knulst A, Breiteneder H, Mills C, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, van Ree R (2006) J Allergy Clin Immunol 118:481–488
Flinterman AE, Akkerdaas JH, den Hartog Jager CF, Rigby NM, Fernandez-Rivas M, Hoekstra MO, Bruijnzeel-Koomen CA, Knulst AC, van Ree R, Pasmans SG (2008) J Allergy Clin Immunol 121:423–428
Wagner S, Breiteneder H (2002) Biochem Soc Trans 30:935–940
Smith AM, Benjamin DC, Hozic N, Derewenda U, Smith WA, Thomas WR, Gafvelin G, van Hage-Hamsten M, Chapman MD (2001) J Allergy Clin Immunol 107:977–984
Ma Y, Gadermaier G, Bohle B, Bolhaar S, Knulst A, Markovic-Housley Z, Breiteneder H, Briza P, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Ferreira F (2006) Int Arch Allergy Immunol 139:53–62
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the EC funded project EuroPrevall (FOOD-CT-2005-514000). E.N.C.M. was also supported by the UK Biological and Biotechnological Sciences Research Council through an Institute Strategic Programme Grant.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hoffmann-Sommergruber, K., Mills, E.N.C. Food allergen protein families and their structural characteristics and application in component-resolved diagnosis: new data from the EuroPrevall project. Anal Bioanal Chem 395, 25–35 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-2953-z
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-2953-z