The genetics of inflammatory bowel disease.
The complex genetics of IBD is characterized by more than one susceptibility locus, genetic heterogeneity, incomplete penetrance, and probable gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. Functional candidate gene association studies during the past few decades have revealed only modest associations between IBD and genetic variants in the HLA genes and a limited number of other genes that are involved in immune regulation and the inflammatory response. Important advances in IBD genetics research have come about from systematic genome searches for IBD loci. The identification of Crohn's disease-associated NOD2 genetic variants that appear to alter the innate immune response to bacteria is a seminal finding that perhaps is the greatest advance toward understanding the pathogenesis of IBD in decades. The future discovery of other IBD genetic risk factors, facilitated by the completion of the human genome sequencing and annotation, may allow the development of better therapies, possibly including preventive therapies, for patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Laboratory, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. duerr@msx.dept-med.pitt.edu
Richard H
RH
Duerr
D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D053473:Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C429018:NOD2 protein, human; D053473:Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein