Identification of Allergens in White- and Red-Fleshed Pitaya (Selenicereus undatus and Selenicereus costaricensis) Seeds Using Bottom-Up Proteomics Coupled with Immunoinformatics

Abstract

White-fleshed pitaya (Selenicereus undatus) and red-fleshed pitaya (Selenicereus costaricensis) are becoming increasingly popular because of their nutritional and medicinal benefits. However, in addition to their beneficial properties, allergy to pitaya fruits has occurred in daily life. In this study, we investigated the protein profile of pitaya fruit seeds and focused on the most reactive proteins against immunoglobulin E (IgE) in sera from allergic patients by immunoblotting. A protein band of approximately 20 kDa displayed a clear reaction with the serum IgE. The protein bands of interest were excised, in-gel digested, and analyzed using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), followed by data searching against a restricted database (Caryophyllales in UniProtKB) for protein identification. Immunoinformatic tools were used to predict protein allergenicity. The potential allergens included cupin_1 and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in white-fleshed pitaya seeds, and cupin_1, heat shock protein 70, and heat shock protein sti1-like in red-fleshed pitaya seeds are potential allergens. The expression of potential allergens was further verified at the transcriptional level in the species of S. undatus and S. costaricensis.

Antioxidant properties, oxidative stability, and fatty acid profile of pitaya fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus) seeds cultivated in Turkey

“…Pitaya fruit cultivation has increased because of reports highlighting promising medicinal uses of these plants (Hao et al 2022). The fruits consist of plenty of grainy seeds.…”

“…The major phytoconstituents isolated from pitaya seed oil have health-promoting properties, such as antioxidant activity (Hao et al 2022). The antioxidant ingredients contained in the flesh of the fruit are also found in pitaya fruit seeds (Safira et al 2021).…”

“…In addition to aiding digestion, the peel and seeds of the pitaya fruit reduce cholesterol levels and protect against diabetes and colon cancer by neutralising the harmful effects of heavy metals and other environmental toxins (Utpott et al 2020;Al-Radadi 2022). Red pitaya has health benefits, including cancer prevention, anti-inflammatory effects, antidiabetic effects, and cardiovascular riskreducing properties (Stintzing et al 2002;Cos et al 2004;Herbach et al 2006).…”

“…Investigations have reported the allergenic potential of pitaya fruits and indicated that they are capable of inducing immune reactions in sensitive individuals (Hao et al 2022;Liu et al 2022). Hao et al (2022) have reported cases of suspected allergy to white-and/or redfleshed pitaya, and the allergic symptoms after the consumption of this fruit included vomiting, urticaria, etc.…”

Caracterização estrutural e funcional das HSP70 no genoma do feijão comum (Phaseolus vulgaris): Uma análise in silico

“…As proteínas classificadas em Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70), são consideradas proteínas com forte atividade alergênica, podendo induzir asma alérgica em modelos de animais (Guo et al, 2021), no qual vários membros das HSP70, são alérgenos conhecidos em ácaros domésticos (Aki et al, 1994), mosquitos picadores, mosca negra, e barata (Chuang et al, 2010), possuindo alérgenos em potenciais, destacando o Touro p 28, cupin_1 (Hao et al, 2022), Cor a 10 (Hirano et al, 2016), Pru av 1 (Kesici et al, 2020) e entre outros alérgenos como demostrado nesse estudo. Isso acontece devido que todos os alérgenos consegue compartilha um grau de identidade em suas sequencias de aminoácidos, podendo ser expressados em outras espécies (Barre et al, 2023), no qual a avaliação de suas alergenicidade em alimentos, pode ser realizado por meio de métodos preditivos, como é o caso de modelos Ademais, todos os alérgenos compartilham um determinado grau de identidade em suas sequências de aminoácidos (Barre et al, 2023).…”