The characterisation of peripheral blood and intestinal antigen presenting cells in coeliac disease

Abstract

Antigen presenting cells, part of the innate immune system, play a central role in initiating and modulating the adaptive immune response. Coeliac disease is caused by aberrant activity of T cells specific for the dietary antigen gliadin that results in a complex inflammatory cascade, causing mucosal damage and villous atrophy. The overall objective of this thesis was to gain a better understanding of the role of antigen presenting cells in the immunopathogenesis of coeliac disease and the significance of tTG and CD163 expression in the coeliac lesion.