Recent evidence suggests that the four electrophoretically defined gliadin subfractions (α, β, γ and ω) of wheat can induce the typical pathological finding of coeliac disease. We have prepared long-term murine T cell lines to gliadin and its four major subfractions. The cell lines were tested in proliferative assays with each homologous gliadin subfraction, and to the other gliadin subfractions. There was some cross-reactivity, with unfractionated gliadin and its α-subfraction being the most antigenic, while ω-gliadin was the least. These data demonstrate that gliadin components are effective stimuli for specific T cell responses, and further suggest that the α-gliadin subfraction generates the highest specific responses. This accords with observations in man that all four gliadin subfractions exacerbate coeliac mucosa, but that the α-subfraction is the most
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