GLUTEN STIMULATION INDUCES AN IN-VITRO EXPANSION OF PERIPHERAL-BLOOD T-GAMMA-DELTA CELLS FROM HLA-DQ2-POSITIVE SUBJECTS OF FAMILIES OF PATIENTS WITH CELIAC-DISEASE

The intestinal gluten sensitivity formally known as celiac disease (CD ) is characterized by an evident involvement of local immune response and it is associated with the expression of HLA-DQ2 allele. The major role in the disease seems to be played by the T lymphocyte population bearing gamma delta T cell receptor (T gamma delta cells) which are in creased both in peripheral blood and intestinal mucosae of celiac pati ents. In this paper data on the effects of in vitro gluten stimulation on lymphocytes expressing the T gamma delta phenotype are reported. G luten seems to be able to induce the expansion of the T gamma delta ce ll population both in CD patients and their HLB-DQ2-positive asymptoma tic relatives, in spite of the absence of clinical evidence of the dis ease. In addition, the evaluation of gluten-induced cytokine productio n shows that interleukin-4 could be implied in the early phases of pat hogenesis of CD.