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Fig. 6 | BMC Gastroenterology

Fig. 6

From: Histological, immunohistochemical and mRNA gene expression responses in coeliac disease patients challenged with gluten using PAXgene fixed paraffin-embedded duodenal biopsies

Fig. 6

Molecular morphometry in gluten challenge. Immunohistochemical stainings of APOA4 (a) and Ki67 (b) in PAXgene fixative and the mRNA levels of these genes in disease controls (DS) and before and after the gluten challenge. In pairwise analysis of each patient, the expression of the villous epithelium gene APOA4 decreased significantly after gluten challenge (c), whereas crypt cell proliferation, as indicated by Ki67 messenger RNA, increased significantly (d). The ratio of these two genes appeared to be the most prominent marker (e). APOA4 and Ki67 ratio and Marsh-Oberhuber classification, which was obtained via the conversion table (presented in Additional file 2: Table S1) from the villous height:crypt depth ratio and intraepithelial lymphocyte count, had a significant correlation, thus displaying the clinical link between these mRNA markers and mucosal injury (f). †Disease controls, DS; ‡ one sample was out of the measurement scale, with a value of 257

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