Clonal Evolution in Autoimmunity Laboratory

Intestinal inflammation continues in a subset of patients with celiac disease despite a gluten-free diet. Here, by applying multi-omic single-cell analysis to duodenal biopsies, we found that low-grade malignancies with lymphoma driver mutations in patients with refractory celiac disease type 2 (RCD2) are comprised by surface CD3-negative (sCD3⁻) lymphocytes stalled at an innate lymphoid cell (ILC)–progenitor T cell stage undergoing extensive TRA, TRB, and TRD TCR recombination. In people with refractory celiac disease type 1 (RCD1), a disease currently lacking explanation, we identified sCD3⁺ T cells with lymphoma driver mutations in 6 of 10 individuals with RCD1 and in one of the patients with active, recently diagnosed celiac disease. Furthermore, the mutant T cells formed large TCRαβ clones and displayed inflammatory and cytotoxic molecular profiles. Thus, accumulation of lymphoma driver–mutated T cells and sCD3⁻ progenitors may contribute to chronic, nonresponsive celiac disease.

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