Removing celiac disease-related gluten proteins from bread wheat while retaining technological properties: a study with Chinese Spring deletion lines.
BACKGROUND
Gluten proteins can induce celiac disease (CD) in genetically susceptible individuals. In CD patients gluten-derived peptides are presented to the immune system, which leads to a CD4+ T-cell mediated immune response and inflammation of the small intestine. However, not all gluten proteins contain T-cell stimulatory epitopes. Gluten proteins are encoded by multigene loci present on chromosomes 1 and 6 of the three different genomes of hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) (AABBDD).


RESULTS
The effects of deleting individual gluten loci on both the level of T-cell stimulatory epitopes in the gluten proteome and the technological properties of the flour were analyzed using a set of deletion lines of Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring. The reduction of T-cell stimulatory epitopes was analyzed using monoclonal antibodies that recognize T-cell epitopes present in gluten proteins. The deletion lines were technologically tested with respect to dough mixing properties and dough rheology. The results show that removing the alpha-gliadin locus from the short arm of chromosome 6 of the D-genome (6DS) resulted in a significant decrease in the presence of T-cell stimulatory epitopes but also in a significant loss of technological properties. However, removing the omega-gliadin, gamma-gliadin, and LMW-GS loci from the short arm of chromosome 1 of the D-genome (1DS) removed T-cell stimulatory epitopes from the proteome while maintaining technological properties.


CONCLUSIONS
The consequences of these data are discussed with regard to reducing the load of T-cell stimulatory epitopes in wheat, and to contributing to the design of CD-safe wheat varieties.
van den Broeck
Hetty C
HC
Plant Research International, Wageningen UR, PO Box 16, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. hetty.busink@wur.nl
van Herpen
Teun W J M
TW
Schuit
Cees
C
Salentijn
Elma M J
EM
Dekking
Liesbeth
L
Bosch
Dirk
D
Hamer
Rob J
RJ
Smulders
Marinus J M
MJ
Gilissen
Ludovicus J W J
LJ
van der Meer
Ingrid M
IM
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001939:Bread / Q000032:analysis; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000276:immunology; D030562:Databases, Protein; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics*; D005433:Flour / Q000032:analysis; D017353:Gene Deletion; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005983:Glutens / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D014908:Triticum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D005983:Glutens