U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2013





- ARS News & Events
- AgResearch Magazine
- Image Gallery
- News
- Search News & Events
- Insect Meal: A Grand Challenge
- The Chicken, the Egg, and Salmonella
- Cooking with Science: Strawberries
- ARS Featured Photos
- Down on the Farm
- Facebook Live Events
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- Under the Microscope
- AgResearch magazine
- ARS at Work
- ARS Memorial Lectures
- ARS Science Hall of Fame
- Citrus Disease (Huanglongbing)
- Contact Office of Communications
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- Mobile Apps
- Public Affairs Contacts
- Publications and Other Resources
- USDA Blog
- Videos

Archived Page
 This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
 **Read the magazine story to find out more.**Photo: A group of mixed nuts.ARS researchers and their university partners have validated the ability of a database of allergenic proteins to predict when a person who is allergic to one kind of nut may also be allergic to proteins in another kind of nut, a condition called "cross-reactivity." Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clip Art.For further reading
USDA study confirms links between longer ragweed season and climate change
ARS scientists develop self-pollinating almond trees
Roasting does more than enhance flavor in peanuts Researchers Investigate Nut Allergy Mechanisms Rosalie Marion Bliss  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists teamed with university collaborators to validate the ability of a database of allergenic proteins to predict when an individual will react to two or more different types of nuts, a condition called "cross-reactivity." Soheila Maleki, a chemist with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Food Processing and Sensory Quality Research Unit in New Orleans, La., worked with Catherine Schein and colleagues at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, who developed the Structural Database of Allergenic Proteins (SDAP). ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency. Foods, including peanuts and tree nuts, contain proteins that are digested into smaller fragments called peptides. A peptide is called an epitope when it is recognized by antibodies, which are immune system components in the bloodstream. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an antibody that is present in higher levels in allergic individuals. When IgE binds to the epitopes, the food is recognized as foreign by the immune system, and an allergic reaction occurs. The proteins between cross-reactive nuts are thought to have similar IgE antibody-recognition sites. The researchers took known IgE binding sites (epitope sequences) from peanut and nut proteins and ran those through the SDAP database in order to predict cross-reactive epitopes in other nuts. The computer-generated binding sequences were then made into synthetic epitopes to conduct tests using serum from people who are allergic to peanut and tree nuts, because their serum's IgE recognizes allergenic epitopes. The serum allowed the team to match previously unknown epitopes, within the major allergenic proteins, that are known to be common to a variety of nut and peanut allergies. The finding indicates that SDAP can be useful for predicting previously unidentified cross-reactive epitopes, based on their similarity to known IgE epitopes. The study, funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health, was published in *Allergy* in 2011. Read more about this research in the October 2013 issue of *Agricultural Research* magazine.


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov