Reduced expression of Ankyrin-G and E-cadherin in duodenal mucosal biopsy of subjects with celiac disease

Confirmatory diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) include histopathology of duodenal biopsy and tissue trans-glutaminase-IgA. Identification of tissue-specific histological markers is warranted to improve the diagnosis. A genetic study in CD identified the association of ankyrin-G that connects E-cadherin with β2-spectrin in epithelial cells of the duodenal tissue. We attempted to investigate the differential expression of ankyrin-G, E-cadherin and β2-spectrin in duodenal biopsy of CD subjects compared to non-CD controls. Duodenal tissue was collected from 83 study participants, of which 50 were CD, and 33 were non-CD controls. Whole RNA was isolated from 32 CD and 23 non-CD controls from available tissues, and differential mRNA expression was measured using real-time PCR. Tissue sections from 18 CD cases and 10 non-CD controls were immunostained using monoclonal antibodies. Tissue immunohistochemistry were evaluated for differential expression and pattern of expression. RT-PCR revealed significantly reduced expression of ankyrin-G (fold change=0.63; p=0.03) and E-cadherin (fold change=0.50; p=0.02) among CD subjects compared to non-CD controls. Tissue immunohistochemistry confirmed the reduced expression of ankyrin-G and E-cadherin in CD. Differential expression is grossly limited within the outer columnar epithelial cell layer. Expression fold change of E-cadherin was seen to partially correlate with the serum tTG level (r=0.4; p=0.04). In CD, reduced expression of two key cytoskeletal proteins (ankyrin-G and E-cadherin) in duodenum mucosa was observed, which indicates its implication in disease biology and could be tested as a tissue-specific biomarker for CD. Functional studies may unravel the specific contribution of these proteins in CD pathophysiology.