IS THE BIOPSY STILL NECESSARY? THE IMPORTANCE OF AUTOANTIBODIES AGAINST ACTIN FILAMENTS

Key words: Autoantibodies directed against actin filaments (AAA), Apoptosis

Recently, serum of celiac patients affected by autoimmune hepatitis revealed autoantibodies directed against actin filaments (AAA). The preliminary results regarding AAA showed a strong correlation between AAA antibody titre and the severity of intestinal damage. The AAA testing showed high specificity given that AAA are not found in specific conditions such as Crohn’s disease and autoimmune enteropathy. Further observations showed that the actin content of enterocytes increases if gluten is introduced in the colture. These data may suggest the possibility to avoid intestinal biopsy in case of AAA positivity, hence modifying the whole diagnostic protocol. At the same time, they may suggest that tissue transglutaminase lead to the development of gluten-dependent autoimmunity against actin with following tissue damage.