If you go into your local grocery store, you are bound to find a host of gluten-free products made with synthetic proteins instead of the natural wheat-based protein gluten. About 1 to 3 percent of the population is sensitive to gluten. The most severe form of gluten intolerance is the autoimmune disease celiac disease (note that it is not caused by gluten, and you cannot get it from eating gluten). In individuals with celiac disease, the immune response to gluten antigens causes the flattening of the villi in the small intestine. How would this affect the ability of the small intestine to function? Predict the symptoms you would expect to see from celiac disease.
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Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. When individuals with celiac disease consume gluten, their immune system reacts by attacking the Show more…
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Gluten is a mixture of proteins abundant in wheat, barley, and rye. Although these grains are staples in the Western diet, almost 1 percent of Americans have celiac disease- a disorder of the intestines caused by an abnormal immune response after eating gluten. This immune response damages the fingerlike villi of the small intestine, which can lead to intestinal upset and malnourishment. Currently, the only treatment is to maintain a strict gluten-free diet. Recall that proline often introduces kinks in the backbone of a polypeptide. These kinks make it difficult for enzymes in your gut to fully digest gluten. In people with celiac disease, certain proline-rich peptides left over after gluten digestion will trigger an abnormal immune response. Researchers have identified a mold enzyme called AN-PEP that effectively digests proline-rich peptides. Predict where the structural differences would occur between AN-PEP and other enzymes that do not digest the peptides.
Gluten is a mixture of proteins abundant in wheat, barley, and rye. Although these grains are staples in the Western diet, almost 1 percent of Americans have celiac disease- a disorder of the intestines caused by an abnormal immune response after eating gluten. This immune response damages the fingerlike villi of the small intestine, which can lead to intestinal upset and malnourishment. Currently, the only treatment is to maintain a strict gluten-free diet. Based on the experiment in question $15,$ propose how AN-PEP might be used to treat celiac disease.
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