1.IgE-Binding Epitope Mapping and Tissue Localization of the Major American Cockroach Allergen Per a 2.
Mey Fann LEE ; Chia Wei CHANG ; Pei Pong SONG ; Guang Yuh HWANG ; Shyh Jye LIN ; Yi Hsing CHEN
Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research 2015;7(4):376-383
PURPOSE: Cockroaches are the second leading allergen in Taiwan. Sensitization to Per a 2, the major American cockroach allergen, correlates with clinical severity among patients with airway allergy, but there is limited information on IgE epitopes and tissue localization of Per a 2. This study aimed to identify Per a 2 linear IgE-binding epitopes and its distribution in the body of a cockroach. METHODS: The cDNA of Per a 2 was used as a template and combined with oligonucleotide primers specific to the target areas with appropriate restriction enzyme sites. Eleven overlapping fragments of Per a 2 covering the whole allergen molecule, except 20 residues of signal peptide, were generated by PCR. Mature Per a 2 and overlapping deletion mutants were affinity-purified and assayed for IgE reactivity by immunoblotting. Three synthetic peptides comprising the B cell epitopes were evaluated by direct binding ELISA. Rabbit anti-Per a 2 antibody was used for immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Human linear IgE-binding epitopes of Per a 2 were located at the amino acid sequences 57-86, 200-211, and 299-309. There was positive IgE binding to 10 tested Per a 2-allergic sera in 3 synthetic peptides, but none in the controls. Immunostaining revealed that Per a 2 was localized partly in the mouth and midgut of the cockroach, with the most intense staining observed in the hindgut, suggesting that the Per a 2 allergen might be excreted through the feces. CONCLUSIONS: Information on the IgE-binding epitope of Per a 2 may be used for designing more specific diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cockroach allergy.
Amino Acid Sequence
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Cockroaches
;
DNA Primers
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DNA, Complementary
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Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
;
Epitope Mapping*
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Epitopes
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Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte
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Feces
;
Humans
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Hypersensitivity
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Immunoblotting
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Immunoglobulin E
;
Immunohistochemistry
;
Mouth
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Peptides
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Periplaneta*
;
Polymerase Chain Reaction
;
Protein Sorting Signals
;
Taiwan
2.The Association between Default-mode Network Functional Connectivity and Childhood Trauma on the Symptom Load in Male Adults with Methamphetamine Use Disorder
Shyh-Yuh WEI ; Tsung-Han TSAI ; Tsung-Yu TSAI ; Po See CHEN ; Huai-Hsuan TSENG ; Yen Kuang YANG ; Tianye ZHAI ; Yihong YANG ; Tzu-Yun WANG
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 2024;22(1):105-117
Objective:
The relationship between adverse childhood experiences and methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) has been shown in previous studies; nevertheless, the underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. Childhood trauma is associated with aberrant functional connectivity (FC) within the default-mode network (DMN). Furthermore, within the DMN, FC may contribute to impaired self-awareness in addiction, while cross-network FC is critical for relapse.We aimed to investigate whether childhood trauma was associated with DMN-related resting-state FC among healthy controls and patients with MUD and to examine whether DMN-related FC affected the effect of childhood trauma on the symptom load of MUD diagnosis.
Methods:
Twenty-seven male patients with MUD and 27 male healthy controls were enrolled and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. DMN-related resting-state FC was examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Results:
There were 47.1% healthy controls and 66.7% MUD patients in this study with adverse childhood experiences.Negative correlations between adverse childhood experiences and within-DMN FC were observed in both healthy controls and MUD patients, while within-DMN FC was significantly altered in MUD patients. The detrimental effects of adverse childhood experiences on MUD patients may be attenuated through DMN-executive control networks (ECN) FC.
Conclusion
Adverse childhood experiences were negatively associated with within-DMN FC in MUD patients and healthy controls. However, DMN-ECN FC may attenuate the effects of childhood trauma on symptoms load of MUD.