In mice, gluten in maternal diet primes systemic immune responses to gliadin in offspring.

We have demonstrated recently immunological tolerance to gliadin in mice maintained on a diet that contains gluten. The aim of this study was to investigate whether oral tolerance is recreated in each generation by the ingestion of dietary gluten at weaning, or whether it is transferred from mother to young (as immune status or via passage of antigen) before birth or during lactation. Surprisingly, instead of transfer of tolerance we found priming of the immune response to gliadin in young mice. Mice born to mothers from normal, gluten-containing diet colonies had significantly greater systemic immune responses to gliadin after parenteral immunization than mice born to mothers from a gluten-free diet colony. Furthermore, feeding mothers gluten-containing diet for defined periods before and during pregnancy and during lactation also resulted in priming of the specific systemic immune responses of the offspring. These findings indicate that, in mice, sensitization to maternal dietary antigens readily occurs in utero or shortly after birth. This animal model should allow investigation of the immunological mechanisms concerned.