AIM:To indirectly determine if tissue transglutaminase(tTG)-specific T cells play a crucial role in the propagation of celiac disease.METHODS:Anti-deamidated gliadin peptide(DGP) and anti-tTG IgA and IgG were measured in the sera of celiac patients(both untreated and treated).The correlations were determined by Spearman's rank correlation test.RESULTS:In celiac patients,we found a very significant correlation between the production of DGP IgA and IgG(r = 0.75),indicating a simultaneous and ongoing production of these two isotypes reminiscent of oral vaccination studies.However,there was far less association between the production of tTG IgA and tTG IgG in celiac patients(r = 0.52).While tTG IgA was significantly correlated with DGP IgA(r = 0.80) and DGP IgG(r = 0.67),there was a weak correlation between production of anti-tTG IgG and the production of anti-DGP IgA(r = 0.38) and anti-DGP IgG(r = 0.43).CONCLUSION:These data demonstrate that the production of anti-tTG IgA is directly correlated to the production of anti-DGP IgG and IgA,whereas anti-tTG IgG is only weakly correlated.This result therefore supports the hapten-carrier theory that in well-established celiac patients anti-tTG IgA is produced by a set of B cells that are reacting against the complex of tTG-DGP in the absence of a tTG-specific T cell.
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