Celiac disease

Gliadin-specific intestinal T cell lines (iTCLs) represent a preclinical model of celiac disease (CD). They reproduce, in vitro, the Th1 CD4 T lymphocyte response activated by gluten peptides in the intestine of celiac patients, in vivo. They are generated from duodenal biopsies of celiac patients through cycles of in vitro stimulation with gluten. They can be expanded as polyclonal T cell lines or as single, highly specific, T cell clones and can be maintained in culture for extended periods.

The proposal concerns the development of the G.A.T.CD4 (Gliadin-activated CD4+ T cells) method which allows, in peripheral blood, the identification of CD4+ T lymphocytes reactive to toxic peptides of gliadin, the main gluten protein of cereals.