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Protein
in Wheat Plays A Role in Promoting Type 1Diabetes
Researchers
have identified a protein in wheat called Glb1 which may play a
role in the development of type 1 diabetes.
Researchers
investigating type 1 diabetes agree that the disease develops
through the interaction of genes and one or more environment
triggers. Although many theories have been proposed suggesting that
exposure to dietary proteins may trigger the immune system attack
leading to type 1 diabetes, studies attempting to establish such
links until now have produced negative or contradictory results
The
research, funded partly by JDRF, sheds light on autoimmune
responses set into motion by certain dietary components. It also
raises the possibility that exposing children to Glb1 at a young
age could teach the immune system not to overreact when exposed to
the protein at a later time.
The
gastrointestinal tract is lined with large numbers of immune cells
that defend against potentially harmful microbes.In animal models
of type 1 diabetes, researchers have found inflammation in this
tissue that resembles inflammation found in the pancreas of
animals (and people) developing type 1 diabetes. In addition,
patients with type 1 diabetes are at
an
increased risk for another
autoimmune affliction involving the gastrointestinal tract:
Celiac
disease occurs when immune cells in the gut react to a certain
protein, called gluten, proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley.
Once aroused, the immune cells attack and damage the lining of the
intestine making it difficult to absorb nutrients from foods.
Although rare in the general population, celiac disease occurs
more frequently in people with type 1 diabetes (with estimates
ranging from 2 – 16 percent). The fact that people with type 1
diabetes have celiac disease at a much higher rate than the
general population suggests that some people that share common
risk genes may be particularly sensitive to wheat and could
develop a misguided immune response to certain foods.
Dr.
Scott began testing various diets in diabetes-prone rodents. His
goal was to identify specific food proteins that promoted
development of diabetes and to understand the mechanisms by which
this occurs.
Dr.
Scott identified wheat proteins as a prime candidate because
wheat-based diets resulted in high diabetes incidence in animal
models of diabetes. Scott and his colleagues proposed
that one or more wheat proteins were spurring the gastrointestinal
immune cells into action, and once aroused, the cells were
targeting pancreatic islets and causing type 1 diabetes.
Dr.
Scott and his colleagues scanned through one million candidate
proteins from wheat, eventually narrowing the field to three
that cause reaction in the immune system, and then finally to
Glb1, which is associated with damage in the pancreatic islets.
The researchers took blood from people with type 1 diabetes and a
rat model for the disease and exposed it to Glb1. Antibodies in
the blood reacted strongly to Glb1, suggesting it plays some role
in triggering the autoimmune attack that causes diabetes. The
results from the study were selected as the cover
illustration for the January 3 issue of the Journal
of Biological Chemistry.
The
researchers have also shown that exposing diabetes-prone animals
to wheat proteins in infancy can delay and protect some
diabetes-prone animals from the disease possibly by teaching the
developing immune system not to overreact if it encounters these
proteins later in life. This work was published in the January
2002 issue of Diabetes. It
is not clear yet whether such an approach would be beneficial in
people at high risk for type 1 diabetes.
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