Celiac lesion T cells recognize epitopes that cluster in regions of gliadins rich in proline residues.

Background & Aims: Celiac disease is a gluten-induced enteropathy that shows a strong association with HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8. Gluten-specific T cells, invariably restricted by DQ2 or DQ8, can be isolated from celiac lesions. Such gut-derived T cells have a preference for recognition of gluten that has been specifically deamidated by tissue transglutaminase.