In Search of a Hypoallergenic Peanut.

Peanut is a valuable and nutritious oilseed and food crop.  However, peanut also is a serious food allergen. Eleven peanut proteins that fall into eight protein groups have been documented as allergenic.  Of these proteins, Ara h 1, Ara h 2 and Ara h 3, are considered the most clinically significant allergens and they have been the targets of many investigations. To significantly reduce the allergenicity of peanut, these major allergens must be altered, minimized, or eliminated in the seed. Because their expression is limited to the seed, such changes should not adversely affect plant growth or function. This presentation will describe work being done to screen germplasm of the cultivated and wild peanut species for allergen variability, as well as approaches being taken to generate hypoallergenic transgenic peanut.