Gluten-sensitive enteropathy. I. The T-dependent anti-A-gliadin antibody response maps to the murine major histocompatibility locus.

We examined the genetic control of the murine humoral immune response to purified A-gliadin, a protein derived from wheat gluten, which is known to cause small intestinal disease in susceptible individuals. Studies with congenic and noncongenic inbred strains of mice revealed that the T-dependent humoral immune response to A-gliadin is under the control of genes mapping to the mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC). These findings in mice establish a clear linkage between the MHC and the regulation of the immune response to a protein capable of causing human disease.