Researchers at Stanford University have discovered an important new structure for a key enzyme associated with celiac disease. In the December 2007 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Daniel M. Pinkas and his colleagues explain that until now, it’s only been possible to observe the enzyme – transglutaminase 2 -- when it’s inactive, or “closed.” Dr. Pinkas and his team, however, have been able, for the first time, to observe the enzyme in its active, or “open” state. The enzyme is active when it's binding to gluten.

To the scientists' surprise, the shape of the enzyme is dramatically different when it’s active. In their article, the researchers write, “Very few proteins have been observed to undergo this type of large-scale transformation.”

The researchers believe that the changes they observed in the structure of the active enzyme play a role in the early stages of celiac disease. They expect that being able to observe the enzyme in its active state will help them figure out why it induces an autoantibody response in celiac patients.

In fact, the scientists speculate, their discovery may eventually lead to the development of drugs for treating celiac disease.

_{Source: Pinkas DM, Strop P, Brunger AT, Khosla C. Transglutaminase 2 undergoes a large conformational change upon activation. PLoS Biol. 2007 Dec;5(12):e327.}

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is “get up off the couch and exercise more,” you might like to join “Team Gluten-Free,” a nonprofit project of the Celiac Disease Foundation. Team Gluten-Free is a training program for runners, walkers and cyclists who wish to participate in races across the United States to raise awareness and funds for celiac disease. The money goes directly to research and awareness programs and camp scholarships for children with celiac disease. You don’t need to have celiac disease to join Team Gluten-Free.

Here’s how it works. First, visit the Team Gluten-Free website to look at their race calendar and download a brochure and registration form. Then, register with race organizers for an event near you (5K/10K/half marathon/full marathon) and recruit your friends and family to participate with you. The Celiac Disease Foundation provides you with fundraising materials, training schedules, nutrition and hydration advice, and Team Gluten-Free shirts to wear on race day.

If even a 5K walk or race seems like too much for you, check out our Walk of Life Program. About.com's Guide to Walking has developed a 10-week walking fitness program designed to help you get fit, lose fat, stay healthy, and live longer and with more vitality.

_{Logo reprinted with permission of Team Gluten-Free.}

While Iowans are gathering to nominate their candidates for President of the United States, the rest of us can also exercise our rights as citizens to shape the country. We can urge our Representatives to Congress to pass H. Con. Res. 70, endorsing May as National Celiac Awareness Month.

The bill, introduced in the House of Representatives by Nita Lowey (D-NY), declares that Congress: (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Celiac Awareness Month; (2) should work with health care providers and celiac disease advocacy and education organizations to encourage screening and early detection of celiac disease; and (3) should increase federal funding for celiac disease research. The complete text of the bill is available on the Library of Congress website.

Enter your zip code here to find your Representative's name and contact information -- or if you wish, you can send an email message to your Representative directly from the website of The American Celiac Disease Alliance.

The symptoms of celiac disease are not always obvious. In my own case, at various times in my life I was anemic, noticeably underweight, had chronic infections, chronic indigestion, had chronic mouth sores -- all problems which I now realize were signs of my untreated celiac disease (and all of which have disappeared now that I am on a gluten-free diet). Lots of other celiacs reading this will have similar stories.

The point is, it’s very important to recognize all the physical issues that might be related to celiac disease, because if the disease is overlooked and untreated, the long-term consequences are dangerous. For example, it’s increasingly being recognized that very short stature can be related to celiac disease. Encouragingly, in some children in whom short stature is related to celiac disease, a gluten-free diet can improve the child's final height (not to mention reducing the child's risk for all the side effects of untreated celiac disease).

Merry Christmas!

You’ve probably got your Christmas Day menu planned, but for many of us there’s still a long week of festivities ahead, and lots of people to cook for. For inspiration, I often turn to the gluten-free blog writers because of their encouraging words and mouthwatering photos.

This season, GlutenFreeGobsmacked.com, hosted by Kate, has been sponsoring virtual Gluten-Free Holiday Baking Events –- a great idea to get around the fact that she can’t host all of her readers in her dining room! Take pictures of the delicious gluten-free foods on your table, send her the pictures with your recipes, and maybe she’ll add them to her holiday round-ups. She’s posted instructions for submitting the pictures and recipes, and she’s also posted a round-up of the gluten-free dishes from her virtual Thanksgiving party. For Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa dishes, the deadline for pictures and recipes is December 30, 2007. For New Year’s dishes, it’s January 5, 2008.

I heard on the radio yesterday that 65 million Americans are going to be on the road this holiday weekend – and I was one of them. My husband, my stepdaughter, and I spent 9 hours in the car on our way to Maine to visit my stepdaughter’s grandmother.

Traveling by car, I had the luxury of being able to bring along a lot of gluten-free food and cooking supplies, including some new silicone baking mats and cupcake forms I want to try out. I'm going use them to line Grammie's baking sheets when we prepare gluten-free things for me. In the past, to avoid any gluten residue on her baking sheets, I've brought along my own metal cookie sheets and cupcake tins, but these flexible mats were a lot easier to pack and carry.

Every celiac knows how difficult it can be to eat well away from home. If you’ll be traveling by plane this week, take a look at our tips for staying safely gluten-free on airplanes. And no matter what your mode of transportation, if you're going to be spending the holidays out of town, our lists of celiac-friendly restaurant directories can help you decide where to dine at your destination. If you have any travel tips of your own, or restaurant suggestions for visitors to your town, please post them.

Whether you're going across country or across town this weekend, have a safe trip!

Some highlights from among the gluten-free Christmas recipes and menus on the Web:

• From Ginger Lemon Girl’s blog comes a not-to-be-missed 2007 Gluten-Free Cookie Roundup -- dozens of gluten-free cookie recipes divided into 10 categories: chocolate chip, cookies with fillings, drop cookies, merengue cookies, peanut butter cookies, rolled and/or shaped cookies, shortbreads and cookie bars, sugar cookies, spice cookies, and miscellaneous cookies. (After that list, isn’t your mouth watering already?)

• From About.com’s Guide to Parenting Special Needs Children comes a collection of gluten-free fruitcake recipes.

• Wheatfree.org in the U.K. has posted menu ideas (with recipes) for a whole day of eating! – Christmas breakfast, a 3-course Christmas lunch or dinner, afternoon tea, and snacks.

• From Dove’s Farm in the U.K. -- some very simple recipes for Mince Tarts and Christmas Cakes.

• From Gluten-Free Goodies in New Zealand -- a list of special occasion and Christmas recipes.

Stay tuned for more, and don't forget to check out some of our other resources for holiday meal planning: how to make traditional holiday recipes gluten-free, and how to take care of gluten-free guests at holiday events.

Are you trying to come up with a gift for someone on a gluten-free diet? Check out our list of gift ideas for grownups, kids, and babies. It’s not too late to order these and have them delivered in time for Christmas!

Here's something you can do with your kids that they'll remember for the rest of their lives. (It's an especially great idea if you expect to be housebound in a storm, or if you just want your kids -- or yourself -- to have a break from the usual frenzied routine.) Visit the Only Sometimes Clever blog and see how to make a gluten-free, casein-free, nut-free gingerbread house. As a homeschooling project, the blog’s author Karen Joy had her children bake, build and decorate (all with her help) a gingerbread house that won First Prize in their hometown’s competition!

Karen Joy posts her dough recipe and her detailed instructions for the house on her blog. She explains that the her “blueprints” came from BobVila.com. Vila offers plans for four different styles of gingerbread house: A-Frame, Colonial, Saltbox, and Side Gable.

The Only Sometimes Clever prize-winner is shown in the photo. If you make a gluten-free gingerbread house, send me a photo and I’ll post it!

_{Photo by Karen Joy. Reprinted with permission.}

How many times have you sipped your cup of tea or coffee while your dining companions ate their luscious off-limits-to-you desserts? Here's a chance for you to have dessert, too! From now through the end of March, Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse, with 54 restaurants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, is offering free gluten-free desserts to customers who order an entrée from their special gluten-free menu. Up to four people per table can use the coupon, but you can return to the restaurant and use more coupons as often as you wish until March 31, 2008.

The coupon can be downloaded from Glutenfreeonthego.com, one of the largest of the online restaurant directories. By the way, the coupon shows a picture of a very nice looking gluten-free marble cheesecake!

I hope other restaurants with gluten-free menus will start doing promotions like this one. If you know of any that do, please let us know by posting a message or a comment!