CD4⁺ T-cell proliferation responses to wheat polypeptide stimulation in children at different stages of type 1 diabetes autoimmunity.

Aims: Our aim was to study whether immune responses to wheat-based proteins are related to the development of type 1 diabetes.

Methods: We analysed proliferative T-cell responses after in vitro gliadin, gluten, whole wheat, and tetanus toxoid stimulation with a carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) based T-cell proliferation assay in children at various phases of type 1 diabetes autoimmunity and in healthy autoantibody-negative control children.

Results: At an early stage of beta cell autoimmunity the strength and frequencies of positive proliferation responses to gliadin, gluten, and whole wheat did not differ between newly seroconverted children positive for one islet autoantibody and the controls.