BMC Genomics (Jan 2011)
Mesenteric lymph node transcriptome profiles in BALB/c mice sensitized to three common food allergens
Abstract
Abstract Background Food allergy is a serious health concern among infants and young children. Although immunological mechanism of food allergy is well documented, the molecular mechanism(s) involved in food allergen sensitization have not been well characterized. Therefore, the present study analyzed the mesenteric lymph node (MLN) transcriptome profiles of BALB/c mice in response to three common food allergens. Results Microarray analysis identified a total of 1361, 533 and 488 differentially expressed genes in response to β-lactoglobulin (BLG) from cow's milk, ovalbumin (OVA) from hen's egg white and peanut agglutinin (PNA) sensitizations, respectively (p Conclusions Immunological profiles indicate that the allergen dosages used are sufficient to sensitize the BALB/c mice and to conduct transcriptome profiling. Microarray studies identified several differentially expressed genes in the sensitization phase of the food allergy. These findings will help to better understand the underlying molecular mechanism(s) of food allergen sensitizations and may be useful in identifying the potential biomarkers of food allergy.