AUTOANTIBODIES IN CELIAC-DISEASE - IMPORTANCE OF FIBROBLASTS

Background: Serum reticulin and endomysium autoantibodies are highly c eliac disease-specific, and the autoantigens have been shown to be der ived from human fibroblasts. Among human tissues, the umbilical cord a lso expresses these antigens. This study was conducted to compare diff erent autoantibody tests and especially to elucidate whether human umb ilical cord is a suitable substrate in tests and whether the cord jell y-derived fibroblasts express the antigens. Methods: The indirect immu nofluorescence method was used to detect the tissue and Wharton's jell y-derived fibroblast antibodies in 334 celiac disease and control sera samples. Affinity chromatography studies were used to show the correl ation between human fibroblast-derived autoantigens and tissue and gli adin antibodies. The jelly-derived fibroblasts were used as antigen in a whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Celiac disea se patient sera showed IgA-class human umbilical cord antibody with hi gh sensitivity (100%) and specificity (99%). All celiac disease patien t sera tested showed in indirect immunofluorescence the molecules expr essed by Wharton's jelly-derived fibroblasts. The whole-cell fibroblas t autoantibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 81%. Human fibroblast-derived celiac disease autoantigens absorbed most of the IgA responsible for human umbilical cord antibodies but not the IgA responsible for gliadin antibodies in the same sera. Conclusions: Wharton's jelly-derived fibroblast autoan tibodies tested in a novel whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assa y correlated well with the human umbilical cord but not with gliadin a ntibodies.