ANTIBODY-RESPONSE AGAINST WHEAT, RYE, BARLEY, OATS AND CORN - COMPARISON BETWEEN GLUTEN-SENSITIVE PATIENTS AND MONOCLONAL ANTIGLIADIN ANTIBODIES

The antibody response of patients with gluten-sensitive enteropathy an d dermatitis herpetiformis against alcohol-soluble prolamines of wheat , rye, barley, oats and corn assessed by immunoblotting was compared t o the staining patterns produced by monoclonal antigliadin antibodies. Both monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and patient serum reacted with whea t, rye, barley and oats, the patient serum showing individual variatio n both in IgA and IgG stainings. A broad reactivity with polypeptides from 30 to 68 kD was, however, typical for patient serum and comparabl e to the reactivity of two broadly reacting antigliadin MAbs. This kin d of broad reactivity of the MAb may suggest that it binds to glutamin e-repeating sequences of highly homologous gliadin polypeptides. Gluta mine- and proline-containing motifs Pro-Ser-Gln-Gln and Gln-Gln-Gln-Pr o are also included in the peptides toxic to the celiac small intestin al mucosa. Our study indicates that the humoral response of the patien ts may detect similar structures, in oat prolamines as well. Patient s erum and one of the MAbs also reacted with a 22-kD polypeptide of corn extract. The meaning of this reativity is not known, and further char acterization of the antigenic epitopes of different cereals will be im portant.