{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T05:02:58Z","timestamp":1790830978945,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790812800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    As domestic silkworm (\n                    <jats:italic>Bombyx mori<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) pupae emerge as a promising alternative food source, the severe IgE-mediated allergic reactions they trigger have raised significant public health concerns. Despite the identification of the novel allergen\n                    <jats:italic>Bombyx mori<\/jats:italic>\n                    chitinase (BmChi), its precise linear B-cell epitopes and molecular mechanisms of IgE recognition remain uncharacterized. In this hypothesis-generating study, we systematically mapped the linear B-cell epitopes of BmChi and evaluated their structural dynamics. Following bioinformatic predictions, a high-resolution\n                    <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                    screening using 109 overlapping peptides successfully identified peptide S31 (residues 536-548) as the major dominant epitope. To gain atomistic insights into the BmChi-IgE interaction, homology modeling and molecular docking were conducted, revealing a structurally stable complex supported by extensive hydrogen-bonding networks within flexible loop regions. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations (MDs) and steered molecular dynamics simulations (SMDs) provided dynamic evidence of the complex\u2019s remarkable rigidity and mechanical resistance. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis highlighted the conserved nature of BmChi relative to plant panallergens. These findings should be interpreted as computational predictions corroborated by\n                    <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                    peptide-level binding data rather than direct clinical evidence of allergenic potency. The predicted consensus epitopes and their elucidated structural robustness provide a precise molecular basis for mitigating insect-derived allergenic risks through directed food processing and immunotherapy design.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1942595","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T04:37:58Z","timestamp":1790829478000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Mapping the major B-cell linear epitope of silkworm (Bombyx mori) pupal chitinase and molecular dynamics insights into its IgE-binding stability"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Lei","family":"Gu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Affiliated Huai\u2019an No. 1 People\u2019s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University","place":["Huai\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiangjie","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Huai\u2019an University, School of Life Science and Food Engineering","place":["Huai\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lei","family":"Yan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Affiliated Huai\u2019an No. 1 People\u2019s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University","place":["Huai\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lin","family":"Bo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University","place":["Suzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xuemei","family":"Sui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Affiliated Huai\u2019an No. 1 People\u2019s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University","place":["Huai\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-ento-120811-153704","article-title":"Potential of insects as food and feed in assuring food security","volume":"58","author":"van Huis","year":"2013","journal-title":"Annu Rev Entomol"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2022.111679","article-title":"Bombyx mori from a food safety perspective: A systematic review","volume":"160","author":"Marzoli","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Res Int"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/mnfr.201700030","article-title":"Allergic risks of consuming edible insects: A systematic review","volume":"62","author":"Ribeiro","year":"2018","journal-title":"Mol Nutr Food Res"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"41","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaci.2017.11.003","article-title":"Food 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