High Frequency of Extractable Nuclear Autoantibodies in Wheat-Related Disorders

Abstract

Background and aims:There has been broad interest to explore the presence of autoimmunity among wheat-sensitive individuals, but neither the pathogenesis nor the relevance has been established. In this study, we evaluated the frequencies and levels of autoantibodies, which are important biomarkers of autoimmunity, in subjects with wheat-related disorders and controls. Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and the specific ones against extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) were investigated.Methods:A total of 713 subjects who showed symptoms related to wheat ingestion were addressed to Vibrant America Clinical Laboratory from December 2015 to November 2017. Serum samples were collected from all subjects and tested with a wheat protein antibody panel (IgG and IgA to 18 proteins at the peptide level) and an autoantibody panel (ANA by immunofluorescence analysis and 10 ENA antibodies). Retrospective analysis was completed using de-identified clinical data and test results.Results:In the retrospective analysis, 38 (5%) were seropositive in a Celiac Disease panel, 491 (83%) were seropositive in a wheat protein antibody panel “Wheat Zoomer,” and 84 (12%) were seronegative in both panels. Anti-nuclear antibodies were detected in similar portions of the celiac disease subjects (13%), the Wheat Zoomer–positive subjects (12%), and seronegative controls (15%), which is also very close to the reported occurrence of ANA positivity (15%) in the healthy population. The prevalence of anti-ENA was reported to be less than 2% in the general population; however, our study found it to be much higher in the celiac disease subjects (29%) and the wheat-sensitive subjects (27%), compared with a smaller proportion of seronegative controls (19%). The prevalence of anti-histone was especially prominent among the celiac disease subjects (73%) and the Wheat Zoomer–positive subjects (60%).Conclusions:High proportions of wheat-related disease subjects carry ENA antibodies that are important specific biomarkers of autoimmunity.

Overlap of Characteristic Serological Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Wheat-Related Disorders

“…These chips are then placed on a 96-pillar plate and assayed against serum specimens to determine reactivity. The detailed fabrication information for the Wheat Zoomer is very similar to the one as reported in our previous work [9, 10].…”

“…This peptide microarray-based assay tested serum specimens as an aid in diagnosis of celiac disease. The fabrication and validation of the peptide arrays are very similar to the manufacture procedures described in our previous work [9, 10]. In general, the immunoassay binding activities between the antibodies in the serum and the attached peptides were scanned by a fluorescence microarray scanner and the data were analyzed to differentiate the substantial levels of binding, which referred to the mean signal binding intensity of the subsequences.…”

Personalized Food Elimination Diet: A Clinical Trial based on Food sensitivity assessment

“…Previously, using our silicon-based microarray platform, IgG and IgA antibodies against gliadin epitopes were detected at 99% sensitivity and 100% speci city [8]. Our quest for understanding the role of food in different diseases led us to investigate the association of autoantibodies in wheat-related conditions wherein we found that a signi cant number of patients with wheat-related diseases had autoimmunity marked by the presence of anti-extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) autoantibody biomarkers [9]. Previous research indicated that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who followed a 'gluten-free diet' experienced a signi cant reduction in disease activity [10].…”