The Humoral Immune Response against Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Celiac Disease: A Case-Control Study.

Present results show, for the first time, that epitopes of HERV-K, HERV-H, and HERV-W are more recognized in patients with CD. Taking into consideration their proinflammatory and autoimmune features, this might suggest that HERVs may contribute to the development of CD or its exacerbation in genetically predisposed subjects. Finally, to elucidate the interplay between gut inflammation and HERVs during the inflammatory process, further studies are required. Those investigations should focus on the expression levels of HERVs and their relationship with the immune response, specifically examining anti-transglutaminase 2 (TG2) antibody levels under both gluten-free and gluten-containing dietary conditions.