T-CELL RECEPTOR GENE-EXPRESSION AND GENOTYPES IN CELIAC-DISEASE

Celiac disease (CD) occurs as a result of an abnormal immune response, within the mucosa of the small bowel, to dietary gliadin peptides. To further characterize the intramucosal lymphocytes in patients with un treated CD, we compared T cell receptor (TCR) variable region gene exp ression in small bowel biopsies from patients with CD to that of norma l small bowel. We also assessed TCR genotypes, using restriction fragm ent length polymorphisms (RFLPs) spanning the V-beta gene locus, compa ring 59 CD patients to 64 normals. The abnormal immune response in CD is polyclonal, without evidence of restriction or significantly increa sed expression of any TCR variable region gene families, compared to n ormal small bowel. No significant association was found between TCR ge notypes, as defined by TCR V-beta RFLPs, and CD.