Know Your Genes: HLADQ “The Gluten Intolerance Gene”
Last updated: October 10, 2020
The Human Leukocyte Antigen system (HLA) gene is associated with the synthesis of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), which are cell surface proteins that are associated with the regulation of the immune system. There are six single nucleotide polymorphisms of this gene complex, HLA DQ(rs7454108), HLA DQ 2.5 (rs2187668), HLA DQ 2.2 (rs7775228, rs2395182, rs4713586) and HLA DQ7 (rs4639334) which have been shown to be associated with gluten intolerance.
Association with Gluten Intolerance:
Farming and agriculture introduced humans to new proteins about 10,000 years ago. Gluten is one such protein present in wheat, which makes bread light and springy as it traps steam and carbon-di-oxide when the dough rises during baking. However, this protein cannot be completely broken down into amino acids like other proteins are. Instead it is broken down to the peptides- gliadin and glutenin. People with certain variants of the gene have been shown to react to these peptides, giving rise to classic symptoms of gluten intolerance like diarrhea, stomach cramps, tiredness and abdominal bloating.
Celiac disease is a severe form of gluten intolerance and it is found to affect 1% of the population. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a mild form of gluten intolerance. In India, more than 10% of the population has gluten intolerance.
The HLA DQ genes have been shown to be strong genetic predictors of celiac disease. In a study conducted to assess the genetic predisposition to gluten intolerance, nearly all the patients with celiac disease had the risk allele in the HLA DQ2 and the HLA DQ8 gene, with the absence of these variants in 100% of people without celiac disease. In a study conducted to analyze the human leukocyte antigen alleles, people with the G variant of HLA DQ(rs7454108), T variant of HLA DQ 2.5 (rs2187668), G variant of HLA DQ 2.2 (rs7775228), T variant of HLA DQ 2.2 (rs2395182), G variant of HLA DQ 2.2 (rs4713586) and A variant of HLA DQ7 (rs4639334) were shown to be associated with predicting a reaction to gluten in the diet.
Does your 23andme,Ancestry DNA, FTDNA raw data have HLA DQ gene variant information?
It is important to choose an appropriate diet based on the genetic profile
For people with Risk Variant (Gluten Intolerant) People with gluten intolerance should completely avoid gluten in their food. There are many gluten free products available in the market. Rice is gluten free, which could be the reason behind the low prevalence of gluten intolerance among South Indians. People with moderate risk should watch out for symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and avoid it from the diet, only if there are symptoms.
For people with Normal Variant (Gluten Tolerant) Continue to include gluten in the diet as there is minimal risk associated with developing gluten intolerance.
“Nutrigenetics, fitness genetics, health genetics are all nascent but rapidly growing areas within human genetics. The information provided herein is based on preliminary scientific studies and it is to be read and understood in that context.”
I uploaded my 23&me raw data. The personal medicine report is really good. Find out why that medicine did not work for you and what will. It was fast showed level of evidence and both likelihood of bad reactions and effectiveness.
Rebecca Burwell
August 12, 2022
I love that I can expand my knowledge…
I love that I can expand my knowledge of my genes by purchasing individual reports that are most important to me. The report was delivered quickly and had a ton of interesting and helpful information! I was interested in BRCA and Breast Cancer and was able to get a full breakdown.
Samantha Jones
May 30, 2021
Finding out random genetic variations
Finding out random genetic variations you might be predisposed to. It gives out likely or unlikely expressions you might have. I got the health, fitness and nutritional pack and I saw confirmations of experiences that I've uncovered about myself, like having unordinary grip strength. It's neat to have this kind of validation and proof! I plan to reference my xcode pdfs since there's a lot to digest! I find the vitamins my body would likely prefer to be my favorite part of it. I want something more definitive to understand myself, like not what's "likely", but genes are complicated and xcode just provides what's likely and that's ok. What I would prefer is probably a whole other complex science. It was worth it.
Whitney Harper
August 17, 2022
Great reporting and tons of information!
Great reports, easy to read formatting and super understandable. Really helped make a informed decisions in diagnosing and choosing treatment options. Great service!
Allie Casares
July 7, 2021
In-depth results
I was curious to see the health insights Xcode had to offer since the 23andme health reports were a bit lackluster. I ordered one health report from Xcode and received results within an hour. This specific report was more extensive than 23andme and came with a helpful guide. I definitely want to order more tests but the only issue is there’s so many to choose from.