Researchers identify new allergen responsible for durum wheat allergy

An international team of researchers, attended by a researcher from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, has identified one of the main causes of food allergy in the Mediterranean region.

Recently, a research team led by Dr. Araceli Díaz Perales of the Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP, UPM-INIA), in collaboration with other international research groups, contributed to the identification of Tri 14, a new allergen detected in durum wheat.

Durum wheat is very popular and is used to make pasta, pizzas, bulgur, semolina or couscous. The identification of new allergens can improve the diagnostic process, and therefore the quality of life of patients with food allergy.

Wheat is the most consumed grain in the world. Various varieties can be identified, but soft wheat and durum wheat are the most commonly used cereals. Because of their relevance, it is a source of natural allergens and is able to induce two different types of responses.

First, wheat is involved in the development of Baker's asthma, an allergic pathology that primarily affects workers who are in permanent contact with flours because of their inhalation. Second, it can also appear because of its ingestion.

However, despite the severity of the symptoms badociated with these conditions, many patients with food allergy to wheat are not properly diagnosed. Until now, the diagnosis relies mainly on the detection of the presence of antibodies recognizing allergens derived from the wheat variety, the main cause of Baker's asthma. As a result, patients with allergies to durum wheat are not properly diagnosed.

In order to discover durum wheat allergens, a team of international researchers started a research study in which Dr. Araceli Diaz Perales was involved. Mr. Díaz is a researcher at CBGP, joint center of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and the National Institute of Agricultural Research and Experimentation (INIA).

After months of work, the researchers finally identified a Tri tu 14 belonging to a family of lipid transport proteins with high resistance to both gastric digestion and heat treatment. Therefore, these proteins are not only responsible for the main food allergy in the Mediterranean region, but also more serious reactions such as anaphylaxis.

The relevance of this allergen to a population of wheat-allergic patients was also evaluated in this study. Researchers' trials have shown how the new allergen could explain cases of wheat allergic patients who had been swallowed for which a correct diagnosis was not in progress. In this way, Dr. Díaz Perales explains that "the discovery of this allergen and the results obtained will allow us to use this protein as a marker to determine the presence of a wheat-mediated food allergy".

The discovery of new allergens that can help as markers of allergic pathologies is directly related to improving the patient's diagnosis. The inclusion of these new markers will help diagnose in patients the lack of reliable diagnosis up to now, thus improving their quality of life.

According to researchers involved in the study, this discovery will help doctors make decisions to prescribe effective treatments and to counsel patients.