@conference{
author = "Lujić, Tamara and Gligorijević, Nikola and Jovanović, Vesna B. and Aćimović, Jelena and Mitić, Dragana and Vasović, Tamara and Stojadinović, Marija and Stanić-Vučinić, Dragana and Ćirković-Veličković, Tanja",
year = "2023",
abstract = "Microplastics is abundant in the environment, food and beverages and get ingested by humans.
Its complex interplay with proteins lead to formation of corona. Tightly bound proteins represent
hard corona, while weaker binding partners are found in soft corona. Separation of hard and soft
corona of allergenic proteins of shrimps, eggs and cow’s milk, tropomyosin (TPM), ovalbumin
(OVA) and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) and identification of binding partners by proteomics was
aim of our study.
Allergenic proteins were purified from egg white, shrimps and cow’s milk. Binding to
polyethylene terephthalate microplastics (PET) (70-100 m) was probed at pH 7 for purified
allergens and egg white proteins. After establishment of binding equilibrium, soft and hard
corona were separated and analyzed by SDS PAGE, followed by identification of bound
proteins by nanoLC-HRMS. Binding of all allergenic proteins was observed in both soft and
hard corona. Soft corona contains exclusively intact, full length OVA, TPM and BLG. Hard
corona is enriched for truncated OVA and oligomers of TPM. OVA fragments are partially or
fully enfolded and have higher level of exposed hydrophobic patches resulting in higher affinity
for PET microplastics. In comparison to OVA and TPM, hard corona of BLG is less abundant
under similar conditions. BLG is compact globular protein with lower level of exposed
hydrophobic patches in comparison to ovalbumin and tropomyosin. In hard corona, trace
amounts of contaminating alfa-lactalbumin become enriched. In the presence of egg white
protein extract OVA forms both SC and HC on microplastics, being the dominant protein of
hard corona (with ovotransferrin). Lysozyme and ovomucin are present only in hard corona.
Both proteins are known for their strong bioactivity and represent a small fraction of total egg
white proteins.
Our results show that allergenic proteins form hard corona on PET microplastics. Among egg
white proteins, minor proteins such as lysozyme and ovomucin become enriched. Denaturing
effect of strong binding to microplastics may change functional characteristics of allergens and
bioactive proteins of foods and should be further investigated in functional assays.",
publisher = "Italian Proteomics Association",
journal = "XVII International Italian Proteomics Association Annual Meeting in partnership with the Hellenic Proteomics Society and Serbian Proteomics Association, "Proteomics and Metabolomics towards Global Health", November 29th-December 1st, 2023, Ospedale Isola Tiberina - Gemelli Isola, Roma, Italy",
title = "Proteomic insight into allergenic food corona on polyethylene terephthalate microplastics",
pages = "11-11",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_cer_7473"
}
