Immunodietica: interrogating the role of diet in autoimmune disease

Abstract

Diet is an environmental factor in autoimmune disorders, where the immune system erroneously destroys one’s own tissues. Yet, interactions between diet and autoimmunity remain largely unexplored, particularly the impact of immunogenetics, one’s human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele make-up, in this interplay. Here, we interrogated animals and plants for the presence of epitopes implicated in human autoimmune diseases. We mapped autoimmune epitope distribution across organisms and determined their tissue expression pattern. Interestingly, diet-derived epitopes implicated in a disease were more likely to bind to HLA alleles associated with that disease than to protective alleles, with visible differences between organisms with similar autoimmune epitope content. We then analyzed an individual’s HLA haplotype, generating a personalized heatmap of potential dietary autoimmune triggers. Our work uncovered differences in autoimmunogenic potential across food sources and revealed differential binding of diet-derived epitopes to autoimmune disease-associated HLA alleles, shedding light on the impact of diet on autoimmunity.

Anorexia nervosa and autoimmune comorbidities: A bidirectional route?

“… 52 Furthermore, an immuno‐reactivity toward primate hypothalamic neurons in serum from AN subjects was found by Escelsior et al 53 Diet has an impact on autoimmunity. 54 Increased gut permeability to food antigens and the potential reduction of oral tolerance could justify the presence of a mild inflammatory state and the increased possibility of developing autoimmunity. 19 Even small alterations in the intrinsic signaling programs of B lymphocytes are sufficient to trigger a systemic autoimmune process through the disruption of T cell tolerance.…”

Bacillus Calmette–Guérin Immunotherapy for Cancer

“…Therefore, the presence of specific microbes in the microbiome would favor the activation of cross-reactive T cell effectors that could help control tumor growth. Moreover, diet components could act as immune modulators by providing cross-reactive peptides between food proteins and self-antigens, influencing the T cell repertoire composition and activation upon checkpoint inhibitor treatment [ 88 , 89 ]. Of course, peptide cross-reactivity would be dependent on the Human leukocyte antigens/Major Histocompatibilty (HLA/MHC) haplotype association [ 90 , 91 ].…”

“…Therefore, BCG’s mycobacteria could act as a non-specific adjuvant, improving T-cell response against melanoma in association with other microorganisms that may impact antitumor immunity in human cancer patients, as discussed above [ 86 , 88 , 100 , 101 , 102 ]. In another study using melanoma patient’s materials, T cell clones recognizing naturally processed cancer antigens that are cross-reactive with microbial peptides were found.…”