Figure 7.

 Short term T cell lines (TCLs) were generated from treated CD mucosa challenged for 24 hours with gliadin (gliadin) or gliadin plus human recombinant interleukin 10 (gliadin+IL-10). TCLs were expanded for three weeks by repeated stimulation with APCs, gliadin, and IL-15 and subsequently tested for gliadin specificity by interferon γ (IFN-γ) and IL-10 ELISPOT and for proliferation to exogenously added IL-2. Representative results of TCLs obtained from one of the two CD patients analysed are shown. (A) TCLs from IL-10 treated explants did not produce IFN-γ in response to gliadin. Autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells pulsed overnight with medium or gliadin (100 μg/ml) were used as APC. (B) IL-10 treated TCLs retained their capacity to proliferate in response to cytokines. No significant differences in proliferative responses to exogenously added IL-2 (100 U/ml) were observed in both control TCLs (gliadin) and IL-10 treated TCLs. (C) Increased frequency of IL-10 producing T cells in response to gliadin stimulation in TCLs obtained from IL-10 challenged biopsies