Gluten and the Gut--Lessons for Immune Regulation

Abstract
Celiac sprue is a common disease in which an immune response to the gluten in wheat results in an inflammatory reaction in the small intestine that can prevent the absorption of nutrients. In a Perspective, Schuppan and Hahn discuss new work (Shanet al.) that identifies a 33-amino acid peptide in gluten that contains the major immunogenic epitopes. This discovery opens the door to developing therapeutic strategies to treat celiac sprue by destroying this peptide.