Tissue transglutaminase 2 (tTG2) is an intestinal digestive enzyme which deamidates already partially digested dietary gluten e.g. gliadin peptides. In genetically predisposed individuals, tTG2 triggers autoimmune responses that are characterized by the production of tTG2 antibodies and their direct deposition into small intestinal wall. The presence of such antibodies constitutes one of the ma...

We have investigated the role of DNA methylation in the regulation of the expression of the human tissue transglutaminase gene. Studies on the methylation of the transglutaminase promoter in normal and neoplastic human cells demonstrated that the promoter is methylated in vivo and hypomethylation of the promoter is correlated with constitutive gene expression. Demethylation of the promoter in v...

  Background and Objective: Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, characterized by inflammation, villous atrophy, and crypt hyperplasia of the small bowel mucosa. In this study we considered and compared sensitivity and specificity of serological tests in patients with celiac disease. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study we prospectively recruited children with suspected c...

Retinoic acid has been shown to induce large accumulations of tissue transglutaminase in cultured myeloid cells. Addition of retinoic acid to mouse resident peritoneal macrophages increased the level of tissue transglutaminase mRNA within 30-60 min. Retinoic acid also increased tissue transglutaminase mRNA levels in human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells. These studies show that retinoic ac...

OBJECTIVE To investigate diabetes-specific autoantibodies and additional autoimmune phenomena in a large cohort of young patients with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data from 28,671 patients <30 years with type 1 diabetes from 242 specialized centers in Germany and Austria were analyzed. RESULTS At least one beta-cell antibody was present in 81.6% of patients. beta-cell-Ab-ne...

BACKGROUND Screening for celiac disease is based on the sequential evaluation of serologic tests and intestinal biopsy; an optimal screening protocol is still under investigation. The screening policy of one of the main healthcare providers in Israel (Maccabi) consists of measuring total immunoglobulin A and tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies and confirming positive results by endomysial an...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate and compare the sensitivity and specificity of the new serologic marker human antitissue transglutaminase antibodies (IgA anti-tTG) with those of antiendomysium (IgA EMA) and antigliadin antibodies (IgA and IgG AGA) for the diagnosis of celiac disease (CD). METHODS The level of IgA antibodies to tTG in serum was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) ...