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Researchers believe they have finally answered a basic question about the
cause of celiac disease -- where in the body does the wheat protein gluten
enter one's system?
A study published in the July issue of Gastroenterology identifies the CXCR3
receptor in the intestine as a gluten gateway. When people with celiac
disease eat gluten, the protein triggers their immune system to attack the
body, causing a wide range of serious health problems.
"This is a scientific question that had never been answered before," Dr. Alessio
Fasano, medical director of the Center for Celiac Research at the University of
Maryland School of Medicine, said in an university news release. "It is not only
significant in the basic science of autoimmune disorders such as celiac
disease, but in therapeutic approaches for the future. This opens a new
scientific paradigm for the study of immunity."
The research team found that gliadin, the part of gluten that causes the most
trouble for those with celiac disease, binds to the CXCR3 receptor. This
results in the release of zonulin, a human protein that lowers the intestinal
barrier to make it more permeable. While this effect is temporary in most
people, the barrier stays down for long periods of time in people with celiac
disease, causing disruption in the body's system.
The finding may help in research on the cause and treatment for other
autoimmune diseases, Fasano said. People with type 1 diabetes and multiple
sclerosis may experience a similar condition in which offending antigens enter
the body through this gateway in the intestines.
"For the first time, we have evidence of how the foreign antigen gains access
to the body, causing the autoimmune response," said Fasano, who is also a
pediatric gastroenterologist at the University of Maryland Medical
Center. "Further study is needed, but this could allow us to intervene before
the zonulin is either released or activated, preventing the immune response
altogether."
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