Background: Consumption of seafood can produce allergic symptoms in susceptible individuals and crustacean allergies are the most frequently reported causes of allergic reactions. Methods: An allergen from the muscle of the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei was purified by ion exchange chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry of tryptic peptides and its specific enzymatic activity. Moreover, the corresponding full-length cDNA was obtained from an L. vannamei muscle cDNA library. Results: A 40-kDa protein was purified and identified as arginine kinase and its cDNA of 1.4 kb encoded a 356 amino acid protein. The obtained arginine kinase was recognized by IgE in serum from shrimp-allergic individuals using ELISA and immunoblotting analysis. Conclusions: This is the first allergen reported for the Pacific white shrimp species; it was named Lit v 2 and has a 96% identity to Pen m 2 from Penaeus monodon.

Plant Cell Wall Polymers: Function, Structure and Biological Activity of Their Derivatives | InTechOpen, Published on: 2012-09-12. Authors: Marisol Ochoa-Villarreal, Emmanuel Aispuro-Hernández, Irasema Vargas-Arispuro, et

Wheat is a highly relevant crop worldwide, and like other massive crops, it is susceptible to foliar diseases, which can cause devastating losses. The current strategies to counteract wheat diseases include global monitoring of pathogens, developing resistant genetic varieties, and agrochemical applications upon diseases’ appearance. However, the suitability of these strategies is far from permanent, so other alternatives based on the stimulation of the plants’ systemic responses are being explored. Plants’ defense mechanisms can be elicited in response to the perception of molecules mimicking the signals triggered upon the attack of phytopathogens, such as the release of plant and fungal cell wall-derived oligomers, including pectin and chitin derivatives, respectively. Among the most studied cell wall-derived bioelicitors, oligogalacturonides and oligochitosans have received considerable attention in recent years due to their ability to trigger defense responses and enhance the synthesis of antipathogenic compounds in plants. Particularly, in wheat, the application of bioelicitors induces lignification and accumulation of polyphenolic compounds and increases the gene expression of pathogenesis-related proteins, which together reduce the severity of fungal infections. Therefore, exploring the use of cell wall-derived elicitors, known as oligosaccharins, stands as an attractive option for the management of crop diseases by improving plant readiness for responding promptly to potential infections. This review explores the potential of plant- and fungal-derived oligosaccharins as a practical means to be implemented in wheat crops.