Detection of Novel Biomarkers of Coeliac Disease at the Protein Level using both Fluoro-Immunohistochemistry and Conventional Immunohistochemistry

Abstract

Background: Coeliac Disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy targeted against the harmless grain protein gliadin and affects around 1 in 300 people worldwide. The condition causes malabsorptive symptomology and the only current form of treatment is a strict. lifelong gluten-free diet. To date, the exact mechanisms of this autoimmune response have yet to be elucidated. Aims: We have developed and tested a fully-annotated and MIQE compliant 87-gene qRT-PCR array which was specifically designed to investigate the hypothesised immune pathways and processes of active CD. Using duodenal biopsy material from 34 patients with active CD, treated CD and healthy controls; this analysis showed a total of 25 genes which were significantly deferentially expressed between the grades of CD, with a total of 5 genes showing highly significant differential expression and significant linear relationships to the different grades of CD. The aim of this research therefore, was to investigate the expression and localisation of these live genes at the protein level: namely Interferon-y (IFNG), Interleukin 17 (IL17A), Interleukin 18 (IL18), B-lymphocyte Antigen CDI9 (CDI9) and Ectonuelcotide Pyrophosphatasc/Phosphodiesterase 3 (CD203c).