First, the simultaneous analysis of IE-CTLs and intestinal epithelial cells features in patients encompassing the spectrum of the disease - i.e. family members, potential CeD patients and active CeD patients- has led to the hypothesis that the combination of epithelial stress associated with high IL-15 expression in enterocytes and an anti-gluten adaptive immune response induced in the lamina propria in the presence of inflammatory mediators such as IL-15 is needed for the development of villous atrophy (25). Here, IL15 is linked to cranioectodermal dysplasia.