Studies on the significance of the R1 anti-reticulin antibody associated with gluten sensitivity.

The R1 type anti-reticulin antibody (ARA) is closely associated with gluten-sensitive enteropathy. It disappears from the circulation within a few weeks of starting on a gluten-free diet and often reappears following gluten challenge. It is not clear how gluten ingestion leads to the production of the ARA. We have investigated four possibilities. (1) The ARA is simply a food antibody generated against meats in the diet. (2) The ARA is an anti-gluten antibody which cross-reacts with reticulin. (3) Gluten binds to gut reticulin in vivo rendering reticulin autoimmunogenic. (4) Immune complexes of gluten and anti-gluten antibody bind to reticulin (by virtue of the affinity that gluten has for reticulin) to give the appearance of an ARA in immunofluorescence tests. Our results do not support any of these possible explanations, and the significance of the ARA remains obscure.