Some of the thing that we ’re allergic to – such as peanuts and pollen , for model – carry compounds that resemble proteins find in parasites . Turns out , our supersensitised reactions are actually maladaptive immune responses : To protect us , our body are attacking similar but harmless compounds . The finding were published inPLOS Computational Biologylast hebdomad .
Various environmental and nutrient protein called allergens are recognized by an resistant system antibody call in Ig E ( IgE ) . This part of the mammalian immune organisation is thought to have evolved as an extra rapid answer mechanism to combat leechlike arthropods and worm call helminths . If IgE - arbitrate immune response evolve to provide extra security – and not to get allergic reactions – then environmental allergens such as pollen should partake cardinal molecular properties with the parasite antigens that are specifically target by IgE in infected man .
To test this , a team led byNidhi Tyagifrom the EMBL - European Bioinformatics Institute searched 2,712 known immunoglobulin E antigens against a dataset of protein from dozens of species of helminths and parasitic arthropod . This ensue in a list of 2,445 parasite protein that show important similarity in both episode and construction with allergenic proteins . Then , the team measured antibody response in blood collected from 222 the great unwashed living in the fishing village of Namoni on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda . These community members were abide fromschistosomiasis , which is triggered by the wormSchistosoma mansoni(pictured above ) . The blood was pull in immediately before anti - schistosomiasis treatment and five week afterwards .
turn out , a industrial plant protein foretell BetV1 – the commonest allergen in pollen – is a target of IgE in humans infected with bilharzia .
allergen have been defined in the literature on many measure , Tyagi explain to IFLScience , and this new paper add to one of those definition : environmental and food proteins that are similar to those parasite proteins against which IgE is an observed marker of protective immunity . Defining allergen - like speck in parasites and realise their connectedness to the unregulated IgE response , the author write , will avail with the find and pattern of speck for next immunotherapy in allergic status .
