Three Protein Fragments Create Gluten Allergies

An Australian research team has narrowed the cause of celiac disease to three distinct protein fragments. The partial proteins or peptides are common in wheat, rye and barley. Celiac disease is a disease that affects one in 133 people in the United States. The disease affects a persons intestinal tract, specifically the small intestine.

Anyone affected by celiac disease is forced to eat only items that are gluten free. Now with this discovery, those affected by the disease may someday be able to receive a vaccination that will allow them to eat foods they are forbidden from eating because of their intestinal reaction.

While most people are able to digest food with wheat , barley and rye, those with celiac disease have what amounts to an allergic reaction to those proteins or peptides. The Australian research team gave 200 test subjects food with wheat, rye and barley for three days. This activated immune T Cells to attack the gluten in the patients systems.

The researchers then gathered the T Cells to measure the patients reactions. The researchers are now developing the information they have gathered to inject the patients with a vaccine that will develop their immunity to the peptides and proteins.