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While the antigenic specificity and pathogenic relevance of immunologic reactivity to gluten in celiac disease have been extensively researched, the immune response to nongluten proteins of wheat has not been characterized. We aimed to investigate the level and molecular specificity of antibody response to wheat nongluten proteins in celiac disease. Serum samples from patients and controls were screened for IgG and IgA antibody reactivity to a nongluten protein extract from the wheat cultivar Triticum aestivumButte 86. Antibodies were further analyzed for reactivity to specific nongluten proteins by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Immunoreactive molecules were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Compared with healthy controls, patients exhibited significantly higher levels of antibody reactivity to nongluten proteins. The main immunoreactive nongluten antibody target proteins were identified as serpins, purinins, α-amylase/protease inhibitors, globulins, and farinins. Assessment of reactivity toward purified recombinant proteins further confirmed the presence of antibody response to specific antigens. The results demonstrate that, in addition to the well-recognized immune reaction to gluten, celiac disease is associated with a robust humoral response directed at a specific subset of the nongluten proteins of wheat.

?-Gliadins were purified from wheat (Triticum aestivumL. ‘Butte’) flour and characterized. Although reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) separated the 1B-encoded ?-gliadins into two fractions, 1B1 and 1B2, these fractions had nearly identical amino acid compositions, three similar protein bands in SDS-PAGE, 10 similar spots in two-dimensional PAGE, and two similar N-terminal amino acid sequences. The main components had a range in mass of 48,900–51,500 when estimated by mass spectrometry, significantly less than the mass estimated by SDS-PAGE. The 1B fractions were digested with thermolysin, the peptides were separated by RP-HPLC, the peptide mass was determined, and nine peptides from each fraction were sequenced with nearly identical results for the 1B1 and 1B2 digests. A possible consensus sequence of the 1B-encoded ?-gliadin internal repeat was QQQXP, where X was F, I, or L in descending order of occurrence. The 1D-encoded ?-gliadins were purified by RP-HPLC as a single fraction that had one band in SDS-PAGE, two spots in two-dimensional PAGE, two components with mass of 41,923 and 42,770 detected by mass spectrometry, and two N-terminal sequences. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra for the 1B and 1D ?-gliadins were similar and were suggestive of mainly flexible random structure with a significant amount of the left-handed polyproline II helical conformation in the 1D components.

The complete amino acid sequence of an a-type gliadin from spelt wheat (spelta) has been deduced from the cloned DNA sequence and compared with a-type gliadin sequences from bread wheat. The comparison showed only minor differences in amino acid sequences between the a-type gliadin from bread wheat and the a-type gliadin from spelta. The two sequences had an identity of 98.5%. Larger differences can be found between different a-type gliadin amino acid sequences from common bread wheat. Because all the different classes of gliadins, a, ß, ?, and ?, appear to be active in celiac disease, it is reasonably certain that the spelta gliadin is also toxic. We conclude that spelta is not a safe grain for people with celiac disease, contrary to the implications in labeling a bread made from spelta as “an alternative to wheat”. Our conclusions are in accord with spelta and bread wheat being classed taxonomically as subspecies of the same genus and species, Triticum aestivumL.

The N‐terminal amino acid sequences of two chloroform/methanol soluble globulins from barley and one form wheat are reported. They are homologous with N‐terminal sequences previously reported for α‐amylase and trypsin inhibitors from cereals and 2 S storage proteins from castor bean and rape. Three albumins were also purified from Aegilops squarrosaand Triticum monococcum. These had N‐terminal amino acid sequences most closely related to the α‐amylase and trypsin inhibitors. The relationships of this superfamily of seed proteins are discussed.

N-terminal amino acid sequences and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) molecular weights have been determined for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-purified high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) glutenin subunits (GS) of Triticum tauschiissp. strangulata, contributor of the D genome to hexaploid bread wheat. The use of three different extraction procedures resulted in similar glutenin preparations. On the basis of N-terminal sequences, the same types of glutenin subunits that have been reported in bread and durum wheats (HMW-GS of both the x and y types and LMW-GS of the LMW-s, LMW-m, a-, and ?-types) were found in T. tauschii. However, the HMW-GS in T. tauschiiwere in greater proportion relative to LMW-GS when compared to reported values for a bread and durum wheat. Our results support the likelihood that differences in the proportions of the various subunits contributed by the A, B, and D genomes, rather than qualitative differences in the types of subunits, are responsible for the major differences in quality characteristics between bread wheat and durum wheat.

Celiac disease is activated in genetically susceptible individuals by the dietary ingestion of wheat gluten and similar proteins in other grains. Gliadins are a complex mixture of proteins that contain at least 40 different components in a single variety of wheat. We have purified the four major electrophoretic fractions of wheat gliadin and examined the specificity of antigliadin antibody for those fractions by radioimmunoassay in 30 patients with celiac disease and 30 matched controls. All patients had been on a gluten-free diet for more than 18 mo and were clinically asymptomatic at the time of study. Seventeen of 30 patients had increased antibody levels to one or more of the gliadin fractions. Twelve of 17 patients had elevated antibody to A or 6Dα-gliadin, 9 of 17 to β-gliadin, 10 of 17 to γ-gliadin, and 8 of 17 to ω-gliadin. Of the 17 subjects, 5 had increased antigliadin antibody levels to one gliadin fraction only, whereas 12 had increased levels to two or more fractions. Of the 17 patients with increased antibody titers, 16 had the G2m(n) immunoglobulin heavy chain allotype marker and 14 had the serologic HLA specificities -B8 or -DR3, or both. Definition of the wheat gliadin fractions and specific gliadin peptides that can activate celiac disease remains an open question. These data indicate that antigliadin antibody in the serum of asymptomatic patients with celiac disease who are maintained on a gluten-free diet can be directed against one or a multiple of gliadin fractions.

Specific peptides of known amino acid sequence were prepared from α-gliadin (A-gliadin) by cleavage of the protein with cyanogen bromide and chymotrypsin and purification of the resulting peptides. The three peptides derived from the cyanogen bromide cleavage spanned the complete sequence of A-gliadin (266 residues). Four peptides derived from chymotryptic digestion covered the N-terminal sequence through residue 68. These peptides were tested for toxicity in celiac disease by organ culture of biopsied small intestinal tissues taken from patients with active celiac disease. Enterocyte height was used as a measure of peptide effect on cultured tissues. Five of seven peptides tested significantly inhibited increase of enterocyte height in the cultures and were considered toxic on this basis. The largest common sequences among the toxic peptides were -pro-ser-gln-gln- and -gln-gln-gln-pro-; these sequences were absent from the non-toxic peptides. The relationship of these sequences to the damaging effect of gliadins on the small intestinal mucosa in celiac disease remains to be investigated.