Quail Egg Allergen Detection Using Vitellogenin-1 and Vitellogenin-2
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional allergy testing agents do not reliably detect allergic reactions to specific antigens in foods, as they contain multiple protein components, making it difficult to identify allergens responsible for allergic reactions, especially when present in small amounts.
Innovation Solution
Identification and use of specific antigens such as vitellogenin-1 and vitellogenin-2 proteins from quail eggs, which are used in diagnostic kits and compositions to detect IgE antibody binding, allowing for precise diagnosis of quail egg allergy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional allergy testing agents are prepared by simply grinding candidate allergenic food materials, then the testing process is simple and easy to manufacture, but the reliability of detecting specific allergens is insufficient because multiple protein components mask the presence of specific allergens in small amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates specific allergen proteins (such as ovomucoid, ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme from chicken eggs; vitellogenin-1 and vitellogenin-2 from quail eggs) from complex food matrices. By preparing purified antigen preparations containing only these specific allergens, the testing agent can reliably detect specific IgE antibodies without interference from other protein components, thereby resolving the contradiction between detection reliability and agent complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the complex mixture of proteins in allergenic foods into individual purified allergen components. Each specific allergen protein is isolated and prepared separately as a distinct testing antigen. This segmentation allows the testing system to target and detect specific allergens independently, improving reliability while maintaining manageable complexity through modular antigen preparation.
2Measurement precision
If conventional antigen reagents contain multiple types of proteins, then the reagent can be prepared simply from whole food materials, but the measurement precision for detecting specific allergen-IgE binding is insufficient when the allergen is present in trace amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts specific allergen proteins from whole food materials through purification processes such as ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. This extraction isolates the target allergen (e.g., ovomucoid, ovalbumin, or quail egg vitellogenins) from the complex food matrix, enabling precise detection of trace amounts of specific IgE antibodies without the masking effect of other proteins, thereby achieving high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates antigen preparations with localized high purity and high concentration of specific allergen proteins. Rather than using homogeneous mixtures of all food proteins, the preparation focuses quality (purity and concentration) specifically on the target allergen component. This localized quality enhancement ensures that even trace amounts of specific IgE antibodies can be detected with high precision through specific antigen-antibody binding.
3Measurement precision
If purified specific allergen antigens are used in allergy testing, then the detection precision and reliability for specific IgE antibodies are improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-purifying and characterizing specific allergen proteins from egg materials before they are needed for test preparation. The purification protocols (ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration) are established and optimized in advance, creating ready-to-use purified antigen preparations that can be stored and deployed for testing without repeated time-consuming purification steps, thus reducing manufacturing time while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes purification parameters such as ammonium sulfate concentration gradients, ion exchange resin types and conditions, and gel filtration column dimensions to achieve rapid yet effective purification. By carefully controlling these parameters, the manufacturing process achieves high-purity antigen preparation in minimized time, balancing measurement precision requirements with manufacturing efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides highly sensitive methods for diagnosing quail egg allergy, enabling accurate detection of allergens and development of pharmaceutical compositions and allergen-free products.
Implementation Method 1
In serum and tissues of allergic patients, IgE antibodies specific to particular antigens are produced. Physiological consequences caused by interaction between such IgE antibodies and such particular antigens elicit allergic reactions.
Implementation Method 2
a method for separating and purifying many different proteins from a small amount of sample has been used, which is more specifically a two-dimensional electrophoresis consisting of isoelectric focusing in the first dimension, followed by SDS-PAGE in the second dimension
Implementation Method 3
two-dimensional electrophoresis consisting of isoelectric focusing in the first dimension, followed by SDS-PAGE in the second dimension
Implementation Method 4
Purifications based on molecular weight difference can be exemplified by centrifugal separation, molecular-sieve column chromatography, and SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides novel antigens of an allergy to a quail egg, methods and kits for diagnosing an allergy to a quail egg, pharmaceutical compositions comprising such an antigen, and quail eggs or processed products of quail egg which are devoid of such an antigen.