Evaluation for Allergenicity for Genetically Modified Organic Foods

초록

Evaluation for Allergenicity for Genetically Modified Organic Foods Jae-Won Oh, Mi-Seon Ko, Ha-Baik Lee Department of Pediatrics, Hanyang University College of Medicine Objective: The assessment of the allergenicity of the newly introduced proteins should focus on the source of the gene. This study aimed to clarify whether GMO food cause any allergic reactions in patients with food allergy. It evaluated target proteins contained in GMO food, using the serum of patients with food allergy. Methods: To identify the target proteins in GMO food and to evaluate their allergenic risks, several genes including CP4 EPSPS in genetically modified soybean and Cry1f, Cry1Ab and Pat in genetically modified corn were cloned, and for the purpose of inducing the protein expression of their target proteins and of purifying the target gene proteins, they were transformed to synthesize proteins. The serums were divided into allergy-positive ones and allergy-negative ones to soybean and corn, and SDS-PAGE and western blotting were conducted, followed by the diagnosis of their allergenic risks. Results: As a result of this study, the allergenic risks of the four target proteins were insignificant, and although some non-specific bands appeared in western blot by using serum from the allergic patients with purified target proteins, it is considered that they are not associated with allergenic risk in the light that they often appear in other proteins. Additionally, as a result of analyzing DNA sequences for each target protein with the intention of protein identification, they were perfectly matched. Conclusions: As a way to evaluate the allergenic risk of GMO food, it is reasonable to do so with the purified target proteins as performed in this study.