Distinct Animal Food Allergens Form IgE-Binding Amyloids

Several animal food allergens assemble into amyloids under gastric-like environments. These aggregated structures provide Gad m 1 with an enhanced immunoglobulin E (IgE) interaction due to the fibrillation of the epitope regions. However, whether these properties are unique to Gad m 1 or shared by other food allergens has not yet been addressed. Using Bos d 5, Bos d 12 and Gal d 2 as allergen models and Gad m 1 as the control, aggregation reactions and the sera of milk, egg and fish allergic patients have been analyzed, assessing the IgE interactions of their amyloids. We found that amyloids formed by Bos d 12 and Gal d 2 full-length and truncated chains are recognized by the IgEs of milk and egg allergic patient sera. As with Gad m 1, in most cases amyloid recognition is higher than that of the native structure. Bos d 5 was not recognized under any fold by the IgE of the sera studied. These results suggest that the formation of IgE-binding amyloids could be a common feature to animal food allergens.