Analysis of oat seed transcriptome with regards to proteins involved in celiac disease

Abstract

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is considered to be a healthy food. In contrast to other grain crops, oat is high in protein, lipids, dietary fiber, antioxidants, and uniquely in avenanthramides. The question of whether it can also be consumed by people suffering from celiac disease is still unresolved. The main aim of this study was to extract and sequence genes for potentially harmful avenins, globulins, and α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors in six oat varieties and to establish their variability using PacBio sequencing technology of enriched libraries. The results were compared with sequences of the genes already present in databases. In total, 21 avenin, 75 globulin, and 25 α-amylase/trypsin inhibitor genes were identified and mapped in the hexaploid oat chromosomes. In all of the three gene families, only marginal sequence differences were found between the oat varieties within the individual genes. Avenin epitopes were found in all four types of avenin genes occurring in all oat varieties tested within this study. However, the number of avenin genes was nearly four times lower than of globulin genes and, on the protein level, formed only 10% of storage proteins. Therefore, the question of whether oat is safe to celiac disease people is a question of boundary values.

Effect of additional water supply during grain filling on protein composition and epitope characteristics of winter oats

“…In the study of Leišová-Svobodová et al (2022) , genes for potentially harmful avenins, globulins and α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors were investigated using PacBio sequencing technology of enriched libraries. The research group concluded, that whether oats are less toxic to people with celiac disease is a question of dose.…”

Does sourdough bread provide clinically relevant health benefits?

“…Storage proteins in oat seeds differ from those in wheat, barley, and rye ( 51 ), and avenins, the oat prolamins, are significantly lower than in wheat and other gluten-containing cereals. Oats contain epitopes with the potential to trigger CD ( 52 ), albeit in low concentrations ( 53 ), as well as immune-reactivity ( 45 ). Some studies found differences in the immunological responses of different oat varieties ( 53 , 54 ).…”