Brief Articles
Copyright ©2009 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2009; 15(7): 845-848
Published online Feb 21, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.845
Correlation analysis of celiac sprue tissue transglutaminase and deamidated gliadin IgG/IgA
Eric V Marietta, Shadi Rashtak, Joseph A Murray
Eric V Marietta, Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, United States
Shadi Rashtak, Joseph A Murray, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, United States
Author contributions: Marietta EV, Rashtak S and Murray JA designed research; Rashtak S performed research; Marietta EV, Rashtak S and Murray JA analyzed data; Marietta EV wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Joseph A Murray, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN 55905, United States. murray.joseph@mayo.edu
Telephone: +1-507-2842631
Fax: +1-507-2669081
Received: September 20, 2008
Revised: December 12, 2008
Accepted: December 19, 2008
Published online: February 21, 2009
Abstract

AIM: To indirectly determine if tissue transglutaminase (tTG)-specific T cells play a crucial role in the propagation of celiac disease.

METHODS: Anti-deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) and anti-tTG IgA and IgG were measured in the sera of celiac patients (both untreated and treated). The correlations were determined by Spearman’s rank correlation test.

RESULTS: In celiac patients, we found a very significant correlation between the production of DGP IgA and IgG (r = 0.75), indicating a simultaneous and ongoing production of these two isotypes reminiscent of oral vaccination studies. However, there was far less association between the production of tTG IgA and tTG IgG in celiac patients (r = 0.52). While tTG IgA was significantly correlated with DGP IgA (r = 0.80) and DGP IgG (r = 0.67), there was a weak correlation between production of anti-tTG IgG and the production of anti-DGP IgA (r = 0.38) and anti-DGP IgG (r = 0.43).

CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that the production of anti-tTG IgA is directly correlated to the production of anti-DGP IgG and IgA, whereas anti-tTG IgG is only weakly correlated. This result therefore supports the hapten-carrier theory that in well-established celiac patients anti-tTG IgA is produced by a set of B cells that are reacting against the complex of tTG-DGP in the absence of a tTG-specific T cell.

Keywords: Celiac disease; Tissue transglutaminase; Deamidated gliadin peptide; Correlation; IgG; IgA