Natural antibodies against alliinase in human serum and polyclonal antibodies elicited in rabbit share the same immunogenic determinants.

Human serum contains natural antibodies against alliinase, a protein abundantly found in garlic (Allium sativum) cloves. In order to study the epitope(s) of this protein recognized by anti-alliinase antibodies, we used a random hexapeptide library displayed on filamentous M13 phage. Analysis of the phagotopes selected on rabbit anti-alliinase antibodies revealed that the motif-GKXVXX- was common for all peptides. The most frequent phage displaying -GKHVAV- sequence has a 50% identity with the original alliinase sequence (amino acid residues 156-161). The position of this epitope is only nine amino acids apart from the oligosaccharide chain attached to the N146. The rabbit anti-alliinase immunoglobulin G (IgG), which bound the phages displaying this phagotope, also bound the corresponding peptide derived from the alliinase sequence. Affinity-purified natural antibodies against alliinase, present in normal human serum (which can specifically recognize the native and denaturated protein) also bound the selected phagotope. Thus, our results indicate that specific natural anti-dietary protein antibodies presented in human serum can have the same. or overlapping. epitopes with the IgG evoked during the active (experimental) immunization in animals.