GLUTEN ACTIVATION OF PERIPHERAL-BLOOD T-CELLS INDUCES A TH0-LIKE CYTOKINE PATTERN IN BOTH CELIAC PATIENTS AND CONTROLS

Coeliac disease is apparently a T cell-mediated disease, precipitated in the proximal small intestine of susceptible individuals by gluten. Preferential presentation of gluten peptides most probably takes place in coeliac mucosa by the disease-associated HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 molecule s. In peripheral blood, however, both HLA-DR, -DQ and -DP-restricted T cell responses to gluten have been observed. We examined gluten-speci fic T cell clones (TCC) derived from peripheral blood for cytokine pro duction to see if their profiles were related to the HLA restriction o r the disease state of the donors. As previously found for mucosal TCC , the main product was interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), often with additi onal IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor, and transforming growth factor-beta. Regardless of restriction element or disease stat e, gluten-reactive TCC from peripheral blood therefore seem to secrete cytokines compatible with a Th0 profile.