Different Profiles of Wheat Antigens Are Recognised by Patients Suffering from Coeliac Disease and IgE-Mediated Food Allergy

Vol. 138, No. 3, 2005

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Original Paper

Different Profiles of Wheat Antigens Are Recognised by Patients Suffering from Coeliac Disease and IgE-Mediated Food Allergy
Claudia Constantin^a, Wolf Dietrich Huber^b, Gerhard Granditsch^b, Margit Weghofer^a, Rudolf Valenta^a

^aDivision of Immunopathology, Department of Pathophysiology, Center of Physiology and Pathophysiology, and
^bDepartment of Pediatrics, Vienna General Hospital, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Address of Corresponding Author

Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2005;138:257-266 (DOI: 10.1159/000088727)

Key Words

Antigen profile
Coeliac disease
IgA
IgE
IgG subclass reactivity
Immunoblotting
Wheat allergy

Abstract

Background: Dietary intake of wheat can cause two distinct immunologically mediated diseases with severe gastrointestinal manifestations, coeliac disease (CD) and IgE-mediated food allergy. The pathomechanisms underlying these diseases are different, but the profile of the target antigens in wheat has not been compared for the two diseases. Methods: We compared IgA- and IgE-reactive antigens in wheat using sera from patients with coeliac disease (n = 35) and food allergy to wheat (n = 16) by one- and two-dimensional immunoblotting. Furthermore, the IgG subclass (IgG1-IgG4) reactivity to wheat antigens was studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: IgA antibodies from CD patients and IgE antibodies from allergic patients recognised distinct profiles of wheat antigens. Furthermore, the IgG subclass responses to wheat antigens were different in CD and wheat-allergic patients. Conclusion: This study thus demonstrates that wheat contains antigens/epitopes which are preferentially recognised by CD patients, whereas others elicit IgE-mediated food allergy. This finding suggests that the nature of a food antigen may influence the quality of the pathological immune response in the gut and has implications for the diagnosis and therapy of hypersensitivity to wheat.

Author Contacts

Correspondence to: Dr. Rudolf Valenta, Division of Immunopathology
Department of Pathophysiology, Center of Physiology and Pathophysiology
Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital
Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AT-1090 Vienna (Austria)
Tel. +43 1 40400 5108, Fax +43 1 40400 5130, E-Mail rudolf.valenta@meduniwien.ac.at

Article Information

Received: January 24, 2005
Accepted after revision: July 14, 2005
Published online: October 7, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 10
Number of Figures : 8, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 28

Medline Abstract (ID 16215327)

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