Soybean antigen protein induces caspase-3/mitochondrion-regulated apoptosis in IPEC-J2 cells

beta-Conglycinin and glycinin are known to induce various allergic reactions, however, but little is known about the mechanism underlying the development of allergy to soybean antigen proteins. In this study, porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) were used to investigate the effects of soybean antigen proteins, beta-conglycinin and glycinin, on cells to determine whether the caspase-3/mitochondrion-regulated apoptotic pathway underlies the allergic reaction. IPEC-J2 cells were treated with different concentrations (0, 5, and 10 mg mL(-1)) of beta-conglycinin or glycinin, and 50 mu M z-DEVD-FMK (a caspase-3 inhibitor). The results show that the apoptosis rate, mitochondrion-regulated mRNA and protein expression levels, caspase-3 activation, cyt-c release, cytoskeleton and tight junction protein expression, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization and mitochondrial injury were significantly aggravated with cultured in increasing concentrations of beta-conglycinin or glycinin. While these effects were inhibited by application of the caspase-3 inhibitor. Thus, we concluded that beta-conglycinin and glycinin cause IPEC-J2 cell apoptosis via the caspase-3/mitochondrion-regulated apoptotic pathway.