Identification of allergenic food processing-induced structural modifications via the HLA-II immunopeptidome

• Applicant: Dr. Hannah Zenker
• Subject Area: Food Chemistry ; Immunology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547657399

Heat treatment of food proteins alters their structure and allergenic potential. Dependent on the protein source and the heating conditions tolerance or increased allergenicity have been observed in allergic patients. This indicates that specific structural modifications may contribute to either allergenic or tolerogenic reactions towards food proteins. Which of the structural modifications that occur upon food processing are responsible for the distinct immune responses is however only poorly understood. Previous approaches often investigated the effect of the Maillard reaction on allergenicity. This was mostly done by studying overall glycation or by picking a few specific Maillard reaction products and studying their role in allergic sensitization. In this project a semi-untargeted approach using the HLA-II immunopeptidome of human monocyte derived dendritic cells will be followed to further disentangle the role of aggregation vs. glycation. Next to that, this will enable us to obtain a more comprehensive understanding on the role of individual non-enzymatic post translational modifications on allergic sensitization.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants