Aoyama M, Hagihara E, Furuya Y, Koshikawa S, Inomata N
The Journal of dermatology •
To date, occupational primary red meat allergies have not been reported. A 42-year-old man visited our clinic with allergic symptoms after ingesting red meat. For the past 5 years, he has developed a tingling in the throat and itchy erythema over the whole body immediately after ingesting rare pork and beef, and fresh cream. He had been working at a butcher's shop since he was 22, mainly handling pork and beef. At the age of 26, he noticed wheals appearing on the parts of his body which had been in direct contact with raw meat. At the same time, his atopic dermatitis was worsening. Specific IgE measurements using ImmunoCAP showed positive results for pork, beef, and cow's milk. Skin prick tests showed positive reactions to raw pork and raw beef. In IgE-immunoblotting, one of the two IgE-binding bands to pork and beef was located at 67 kDa, which was consistent with the IgE-binding band to porcine serum albumin, Sus s 1. Furthermore, ImmunoCAP showed positive results for Sus s 1 and the bovine serum albumin, Bos d 6. Poorly controlled atopic dermatitis and occupational skin exposure to red meat likely promoted epicutaneous sensitization, leading to adult-onset primary red meat allergy.
Taguchi T, Kitajima K, Muto Y, Inoue S, Khoo KH, et al.
Glycobiology •
A novel carbohydrate-rich sialoglycopeptide of apparent molecular mass approximately 6 kDa was isolated from the fertilized eggs of Fundulus heteroclitus (euryhaline killi fish). This glycopeptide is a member of the L-hyosophorin family, characterized by its high content of carbohydrate (80-90% by weight) and formed by depolymerization of the precursor glycopoly-protein (H-hyosophorin) upon fertilization. The structures of the N-glycan chains were unambiguously established by a combination of compositional analysis, methylation analysis, selective chemical degradation (periodate oxidation-Smith degradation and hydrazinolysis-nitrous acid deamination), enzymatic (peptide:N-glycosidase F, several beta-galactosidases, beta-hexosaminidase and alpha-galactosidase) digestions and instrumental analyses (1H-NMR and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry) to have the novel and unique carbohydrate sequences, Gal alpha 1-->3(Gal beta 1-->4)Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc beta 1--> and Gal alpha 1-->3(+/- GalNAc beta 1-->4GlcNAc beta 1-->3Gal beta 1-->4)Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc beta 1-->. This study represents the first detailed investigation of the nature of bulky complex asparagine-linked penta-antennary glycans with a bisecting GlcNAc residue in glycoproteins. Expression of such bulky multiantennary glycan units on proteins may be essential during early embryogenesis.