Identification of epitopes of the ß subunit of soybean ß-conglycinin that are antigenic in pigs, dogs, rabbits and fish.

BACKGROUND: ß-Conglycinin (conglycinin) is one of the major seed storage proteins of soybean. Conglycinin is a 7S trimer composed of different combinations of ß, α and α' subunits. All subunits of conglycinin have been reported to be allergenic in humans. The goal of this research is to identify epitopes of the ß subunit of conglycinin that are antigenic in multiple animal species. RESULTS: Sera from pigs, dogs, rabbits and hybrid striped bass that had antibodies against soybean conglycinin were identified by ELISA. Most of these sera recognized peptides that represent the ß subunit of conglycinin. One antigenic region of the ß subunit of conglycinin had considerable overlap among all species tested. One region that was similar to a peanut allergenic epitope in humans overlapped with a region that binds IgE from dogs. One region was antigenic in multiple rabbits and pigs, suggesting it may play a role in the response of pigs to soybean in the diet. CONCLUSION: One region of the ß subunit of conglycinin is an important antigen across species and abuts a region similar to the peanut allergen ARA h 1. A second region is particularly antigenic in pigs and rabbits. Variants of these antigenic regions of the ß subunit of conglycinin may be useful in determining the role these regions play in the health of animals fed soybean. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Regulation of endocrine and paracrine sources of Igfs and Gh receptor during compensatory growth in hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops X Morone saxatilis).

Compensatory growth (CG) is a period of growth acceleration that exceeds normal rates after animals are alleviated of certain growth-stunting conditions. In hybrid striped bass (HSB, Morone chrysops X Morone saxatilis), 3 weeks of complete feed restriction results in a catabolic state that, when relieved, renders a subsequent phase of CG. The catabolic state was characterized by depressed levels of hepatic Type I and II GH receptor (ghr1, ghr2) and igf1 mRNA, along with considerable decreases in plasma Igf1. The state of catabolism also resulted in significant declines in hepatic igf2 mRNA and in circulating 40 kDa Igf-binding protein (Igfbp). Skeletal muscle expression of ghr2 mRNA was significantly increased. Upon realimentation, specific growth rates (SGRs) were significantly higher than sized-matched controls, indicating a period of CG. Hepatic ghr1, ghr2, igf1 and igf2 mRNA levels along with plasma Igf1 and 40 kDa Igfbp increased rapidly during realimentation. Plasma Igf1 and total hepatic igf2 mRNA were significantly correlated to SGR throughout the study. Skeletal muscle igf1 mRNA also increased tenfold during CG. These data suggest that endocrine and paracrine/autocrine components of the GH-Igf axis, namely igf1, igf2, and ghr1 and ghr2, may be involved in CG responses in HSB, with several of the gene expression variables exceeding normal levels during CG. We also demonstrate that normalization of hepatic mRNA as a function of total liver production, rather than as a fraction of total RNA, may be a more biologically appropriate method of quantifying hepatic gene expression when using real-time PCR.