PubMed · 2026-06-13
Proteins in lupine and peach that normally move fats around inside the plant can also bind to fatty molecules from food and gut bacteria, and this binding makes allergic reactions in sensitive people significantly worse.
Both the lupine and peach transfer proteins showed a newly identified ability to transport phosphatidylglycerol, a fat found mainly in bacterial cell membranes — a specificity not previously described for these allergens.
Adding any of four different lipids (oleic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, or phosphatidylserine) to the proteins enhanced basophil activation in an allergic patient, meaning fat-bound forms of the protein trigger stronger immune responses.
Both proteins interacted with both neutral and negatively charged membrane-like surfaces, suggesting broad membrane affinity that could affect how the allergens behave in the gut environment.
