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Background-Investigation of anti-colon antibodies may be simplified if a sensitive method and homogeneous source of antigen were available. Aims-To examine the anti-colon antibody response using human colonic carcinoma cell lines as antigen. Subjects-Patients with inflammatory bowel disease and other gastrointestinal disorders and healthy controls were studied. Methods-Comparative enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were performed to assess the value of whole Caco-2, HT-29, and LS-180 cells as antigen. The antigenic determinants of the immune response were characterised by western blot analysis. Results-Sera demonstrated immunoreactivity against each of the cell lines, but diVerent epitopes were recognised. Applying whole Caco-2 cells as antigen in an ELISA, the prevalence of anti-colon antibodies was significantly greater in patients with ulcerative colitis (36%) than Crohn's disease (13%), other gastrointestinal disorders (13%) and healthy controls (0) (p<0.05). The immune response was not associated with one predominant antigen. Conclusions-Fixed whole cell ELISA is a simple and feasible method for studying the anti-colon antibody response. This response is non-specific, being directed against multiple antigens, and is likely to be an epiphenomenon of inflammatory bowel disease, more so for ulcerative colitis than Crohn's disease. (Gut 1999;44:196-202)

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