Molecular screening of allergen-related homologs in commonly used herbs utilizing ypr-10 and profilin-based DNA marker systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59463/t36byz37Keywords:
genetic polymorphism, medicinal plants, panallergensAbstract
Food allergies represent a growing public health concern, and current diagnostic tools often fail to detect sensitizations to minor or less-studied allergens. Although herbs have been used for millennia in traditional medicine and nutrition, their allergenic potential remains insufficiently investigated. Evidence indicates that individuals allergic to birch pollen may experience cross-reactive allergic responses to certain herbs and spices due to shared allergenic proteins. This phenomenon, classified as pollen–plant food allergy syndrome, involves IgE cross-reactivity to homologues of PR-10 proteins, profilins, and nonspecific lipid-transfer proteins. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of ypr-10 and profilin homologues in the genomes of 11 commonly used European herbs (Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita, Tilia cordata, Urtica dioica, Rosa canina, Thymus serpyllum, Plantago lanceolata, Sambucus nigra, Hypericum perforatum, Agrimonia eupatoria, Tanacetum vulgare) belonging to various plant families. Two DNA marker-based methodologies, BBAP and PBAP, were applied to identify allergen homologues and assess genetic relatedness among species. All studied herbs were found to contain homologues of the investigated allergen families. Dendrograms based on Jaccard genetic distance indices revealed distinct clustering patterns. Using the PBAP method, two principal clusters were identified, one comprising primarily members of the order Lamiales (Mentha piperita, Thymus serpyllum, Melissa officinalis, Plantago lanceolata), with the exception of Agrimonia eupatoria (Rosales). The Jaccard index for this cluster ranged from 0.818 to 0.947. In contrast, dendrograms generated with the BBAP method did not align with taxonomic relationships, however the lowest genetic distance (0.545) was observed between M. officinalis and M. piperita. These findings demonstrate that DNA marker systems such as BBAP and PBAP provide cost-effective, rapid tools for screening allergen homologues in medicinal and culinary herbs. This approach may facilitate the identification of potential cross-reactive allergens and improve understanding of herb-related allergic sensitization mechanisms.
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