Targeted proteomics and specific immunoassays reveal the presence of shared allergens between the zoonotic nematodes Anisakis simplex and Pseudoterranova decipiens

Ganna Saelens,Florencio M Ubeira,Sarah Gabriël,Victoria Martínez-Sernández,Bart Devreese,Sören Planckaert

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-08113-3

Ganna Saelens, Florencio M Ubeira + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08113-3

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Abstract

The family Anisakidae, mainly represented by Anisakis simplex s.l. and Pseudoterranova decipiens, encompasses zoonotic nematodes infecting many marine fish. Both are responsible for gastrointestinal disease in humans after ingestion of a live larva by consumption of undercooked fish, and, in the case of A. simplex, an allergic reaction may occur after consuming or even handling infected fish. Due to its phylogenetic relatedness with A. simplex, few studies investigated the allergenic potential of P. decipiens, yet none of them focused on its excretory/secretory (E/S) proteins that easily get missed when working solely on extracts from crushed nematodes. Moreover, these E/S allergens remain behind even when the larva has been removed during fish quality processing. Therefore, the aim was to investigate if Anisakis-like allergens could also be detected in both crushed and E/S P. decipiens protein extract using targeted mass spectrometry analysis and immunological methods. The results confirmed that at least five A. simplex allergens have homologous proteins in P. decipiens; a result that emphasizes the importance of also including E/S protein extracts in proteomic studies. Not only A. simplex, but also P. decipiens should therefore be considered a potential source of allergens that could lead to hypersensitivity reactions in humans.

Highlights

The family Anisakidae, mainly represented by Anisakis simplex s.l. and Pseudoterranova decipiens, encompasses zoonotic nematodes infecting many marine fish
An allergenic potential of P. decipiens was supported by a proteomic study by Kochanowski, et al, who revealed the presence of at least eight A. simplex-like allergens in crushed P. decipiens extract and predicted another 28 putative allergens in both A. simplex and P. decipiens by use of high-resolution liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS)[8]
To detect A. simplex allergens in the prepared ESP and crushed whole worm protein extracts (CrP), specific proteotypic peptides and their fragment ions were first selected by in-silico digestion using the Skyline software

Summary

Introduction

The family Anisakidae, mainly represented by Anisakis simplex s.l. and Pseudoterranova decipiens, encompasses zoonotic nematodes infecting many marine fish Both are responsible for gastrointestinal disease in humans after ingestion of a live larva by consumption of undercooked fish, and, in the case of A. simplex, an allergic reaction may occur after consuming or even handling infected fish. Due to its phylogenetic relatedness with A. simplex, few studies investigated the allergenic potential of P. decipiens, yet none of them focused on its excretory/secretory (E/S) proteins that get missed when working solely on extracts from crushed nematodes These E/S allergens remain behind even when the larva has been removed during fish quality processing. These E/S allergens should not be neglected as they remain behind even when the larva has been removed during the fish quality processing[10]

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Conclusion