Allergen to allergy: identifying epithelial endocytotic pathways of peanut allergens

Food allergy has continued to rise over the past few decades. The increasing occurrence of sensitivity to certain foods remains to be identified, and the allergen-epithelial interaction in particular remains elusive. Peanuts in particular are still one of the highest contributors of anaphylaxis after ingestion of a food allergen. Previous findings by our research group observed that peanut allergens were able to cross the Caco-2 cell culture model of the intestinal epithelium. Specifically, the major peanut allergens Ara h 1, Ara h 2 and Ara h 3, as well as Ara h 6. The direction of this research has deepened into identifying the mechanism by which the Caco-2 monolayers uptake peanut allergens, specifically by endocytosis. Here, we aim to further our understanding about the pathway from allergen to allergy.