Skip to main content
PMC home page
Gut logoLink to Gut
. 1992 Apr;33(4):472–475. doi: 10.1136/gut.33.4.472

Gliadin induced changes in the expression of MHC-class II antigens by human small intestinal epithelium. Organ culture studies with coeliac disease mucosa.

S Fais 1, L Maiuri 1, F Pallone 1, M De Vincenzi 1, G De Ritis 1, R Troncone 1, S Auricchio 1
PMCID: PMC1374061  PMID: 1582589

Abstract

Jejunal biopsies from 16 treated coeliac disease patients and from nine controls were cultured with and without a peptic-tryptic digest of gliadin. Cultures with a peptic-tryptic digest of maize prolamins were also undertaken. Frozen sections of baseline and cultured mucosa were stained by immunofluorescence with an anti-HLA-DR monoclonal antibody. Before culture the villous epithelium from both controls and treated coeliac disease expressed DR molecules while the crypt epithelium did not. When biopsies from treated coeliac disease were cultured with gliadin the expression of DR was enhanced in the crypt epithelium in eight of 14 cultures and in 11 of 14 was reduced or absent on the villous epithelium. No change was observed in control cultures. We conclude that gliadin is capable of inducing HLA-DR on the crypt epithelium of in vitro cultured coeliac disease mucosa, providing indirect evidence that gliadin may activate cell mediated immune mechanisms within the small bowel mucosa. This model could prove useful in identifying the immunogenic sequence(s) of gliadins and related prolamins.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

473Figure 1
on p.473
474Figure 2
on p.474
474Figure 3
on p.474

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arato A., Savilahti E., Tainio V. M., Verkasalo M., Klemola T. HLA-DR expression, natural killer cells and IgE containing cells in the jejunal mucosa of coeliac children. Gut. 1987 Aug;28(8):988–994. doi: 10.1136/gut.28.8.988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Arnaud-Battandier F., Cerf-Bensussan N., Amsellem R., Schmitz J. Increased HLA-DR expression by enterocytes in children with celiac disease. Gastroenterology. 1986 Nov;91(5):1206–1212. doi: 10.1016/s0016-5085(86)80018-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Auricchio S., De Ritis G., De Vincenzi M., Occorsio P., Silano V. Effects of gliadin-derived peptides from bread and durum wheats on small intestine cultures from rat fetus and coeliac children. Pediatr Res. 1982 Dec;16(12):1004–1010. doi: 10.1203/00006450-198212000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Auricchio S., Greco L., Troncone R. Gluten-sensitive enteropathy in childhood. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1988 Feb;35(1):157–187. doi: 10.1016/s0031-3955(16)36405-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bland P. W., Warren L. G. Antigen presentation by epithelial cells of the rat small intestine. I. Kinetics, antigen specificity and blocking by anti-Ia antisera. Immunology. 1986 May;58(1):1–7. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bland P. MHC class II expression by the gut epithelium. Immunol Today. 1988 Jun;9(6):174–178. doi: 10.1016/0167-5699(88)91293-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cerf-Bensussan N., Quaroni A., Kurnick J. T., Bhan A. K. Intraepithelial lymphocytes modulate Ia expression by intestinal epithelial cells. J Immunol. 1984 May;132(5):2244–2252. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ciclitira P. J., Nelufer J. M., Ellis H. J., Evans D. J. The effect of gluten on HLA-DR in the small intestinal epithelium of patients with coeliac disease. Clin Exp Immunol. 1986 Jan;63(1):101–104. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fais S., Capobianchi M. R., Pallone F., Di Marco P., Boirivant M., Dianzani F., Torsoli A. Spontaneous release of interferon gamma by intestinal lamina propria lymphocytes in Crohn's disease. Kinetics of in vitro response to interferon gamma inducers. Gut. 1991 Apr;32(4):403–407. doi: 10.1136/gut.32.4.403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fais S., Pallone F., Squarcia O., Biancone L., Ricci F., Paoluzi P., Boirivant M. HLA-DR antigens on colonic epithelial cells in inflammatory bowel disease: I. Relation to the state of activation of lamina propria lymphocytes and to the epithelial expression of other surface markers. Clin Exp Immunol. 1987 Jun;68(3):605–612. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Falchuk Z. M., Gebhard R. L., Sessoms C., Strober W. An in vitro model of gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Effect of gliadin on intestinal epithelial cells of patients with gluten-sensitive enteropathy in organ culture. J Clin Invest. 1974 Feb;53(2):487–500. doi: 10.1172/JCI107582. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ferguson A., Murray D. Quantitation of intraepithelial lymphocytes in human jejunum. Gut. 1971 Dec;12(12):988–994. doi: 10.1136/gut.12.12.988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Griffiths C. E., Barrison I. G., Leonard J. N., Caun K., Valdimarsson H., Fry L. Preferential activation of CD4 T lymphocytes in the lamina propria of gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Clin Exp Immunol. 1988 May;72(2):280–283. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jos J., Lenoir G., Ritis G D., Rey J. In vitro pathogenetic studies of coeliac disease. Effects of protein digests on coeliac intestinal biopsy specimens maintained in culture for 48 hours. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1975;10(2):121–128. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Marley N. J., Macartney J. C., Ciclitira P. J. HLA-DR, DP and DQ expression in the small intestine of patients with coeliac disease. Clin Exp Immunol. 1987 Nov;70(2):386–393. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mayer L., Shlien R. Evidence for function of Ia molecules on gut epithelial cells in man. J Exp Med. 1987 Nov 1;166(5):1471–1483. doi: 10.1084/jem.166.5.1471. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Pallone F., Fais S., Capobianchi M. R. HLA-D region antigens on isolated human colonic epithelial cells: enhanced expression in inflammatory bowel disease and in vitro induction by different stimuli. Clin Exp Immunol. 1988 Oct;74(1):75–79. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pallone F., Fais S., Squarcia O., Biancone L., Pozzilli P., Boirivant M. Activation of peripheral blood and intestinal lamina propria lymphocytes in Crohn's disease. In vivo state of activation and in vitro response to stimulation as defined by the expression of early activation antigens. Gut. 1987 Jun;28(6):745–753. doi: 10.1136/gut.28.6.745. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Scott H., Sollid L. M., Fausa O., Brandtzaeg P., Thorsby E. Expression of major histocompatibility complex class II subregion products by jejunal epithelium in patients with coeliac disease. Scand J Immunol. 1987 Nov;26(5):563–571. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1987.tb02290.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. de Ritis G., Auricchio S., Jones H. W., Lew E. J., Bernardin J. E., Kasarda D. D. In vitro (organ culture) studies of the toxicity of specific A-gliadin peptides in celiac disease. Gastroenterology. 1988 Jan;94(1):41–49. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(88)90607-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Gut are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES