Oysters are an important
shellfish group known to cause food allergy;
however, knowledge of their sensitization components and cross-reactivity
is limited. This study aimed to identify a novel allergen in Crassostrea angulata and investigate its cross-reactivity.
To this end, a 20 kDa protein was purified from oyster and confirmed
to be a sarcoplasmic-calcium-binding protein (SCP) by LC-MS/MS. A
537 bp open reading frame was obtained from oyster SCP total RNA,
which encoded 179 amino acids, and was expressed in Escherichia
coli. According to the circular dichroism results, digestion
assay, and inhibition ELISA, the recombinant SCP (rSCP) exhibited
similar physicochemical properties and IgG-binding activity to native
SCP. rSCP displayed stronger IgE-binding activity by immunological
method. Moreover, a different intensity of cross-reactivity and sequence
homology were demonstrated between shellfish species. Collectively,
these findings provide novel insight into shellfish allergens, which
can be used to aid in the in vitro diagnosis of oyster-sensitized
patients.