An Analysis of Cereals That React with Serum Antibodies in Patients with Coeliac Disease

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Abstract
Sera from six children with active coeliac disease, and elevated titres against gliadins and from six age-matched controls, were examined for IgG antibodies against different cereal proteins by a solid-phase radioim-munoassay. Antibodies to the major wheat proteins and the prolamines of other cereals were present in low titre in all control sera. In coeliac sera, significantly higher titres were found against A-gliadin, as well as against hexaploid and tetraploid wheat whole gliadins. Gliadin peptic-tryptic digest retained a significant antigenic activity, completely lost by peptic-tryptic-pancrealic digest. High titres were also found when coeliac sera were tested against wheat glulenins, albumins, and globulins, as well as against barley, oats, and maize prolamines; rice prolamines gave lower titres. Serum from whole gliadins and A-gliadin immunized rabbils showed a similar spectrum of reactivity against prolamines as coeliac sera. Our results indicate a dissociation belween immunogenic properlies of cereal proteins and loxicily in coeliac disease.