Decoding Penaeus vannamei Allergies: How Digestion-Resistant Immunodominant Epitopes Drive IgE-Mediated Allergic Responses

Although it is well established that Penaeus vannamei can trigger IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions, the specific biological effects of digestion-resistant immunodominant epitopes from P. vannamei on allergic responses remain to be elucidated. To address this, the present study systematically evaluated the sensitization potential and underlying mechanisms of five digestion-resistant immunodominant epitopes derived from P. vannamei, utilizing both BALB/c mouse models and RBL-2H3 cell models. The results demonstrated that all digestion-resistant immunodominant epitopes were capable of inducing allergic reactions in mice, with P1 (DSGVGIYAPDAEA) and P2 (EGELKGTYYPLTGM) from arginine kinase exhibiting the strongest allergenicity. Furthermore, cell experiments indicated that these digestion-resistant immunodominant epitopes activated the IgE/FcεRI-mediated cell degranulation signaling pathway, promoted Ca²⁺ influx and degranulation of mast cells, and induced the release of allergenic mediators, such as β-hexosaminidase, histamine, IL-4, and IFN-γ. In conclusion, this study identified key molecular targets for the development of hypoallergenic shrimp products.