Animal‐derived food allergen: A review on the available crystal structure and new insights into structural epitope

Abstract Immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐mediated food allergy is a rapidly growing public health problem. The interaction between allergens and IgE is at the core of the allergic response. One of the best ways to understand this interaction is through structural characterization. This review focuses on animal‐derived food allergens, overviews allergen structures determined by X‐ray crystallography, presents an update on IgE conformational epitopes, and explores the structural features of these epitopes. The structural determinants of allergenicity and cross‐reactivity are also discussed. Animal‐derived food allergens are classified into limited protein families according to structural features, with the calcium‐binding protein and actin‐binding protein families dominating. Progress in epitope characterization has provided useful information on the structural properties of the IgE recognition region. The data reveals that epitopes are located in relatively protruding areas with negative surface electrostatic potential. Ligand binding and disulfide bonds are two intrinsic characteristics that influence protein structure and impact allergenicity. Shared structures, local motifs, and shared epitopes are factors that lead to cross‐reactivity. The structural properties of epitope regions and structural determinants of allergenicity and cross‐reactivity may provide directions for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of food allergies. Experimentally determined structure, especially that of antigen–antibody complexes, remains limited, and the identification of epitopes continues to be a bottleneck in the study of animal‐derived food allergens. A combination of traditional immunological techniques and emerging bioinformatics technology will revolutionize how protein interactions are characterized.