What are the major arguments in favour of the genetic susceptibility for inflammatory bowel disease?
Epidemiological data, notably concordance rates in twin pairs and familial aggregation, have provided strong evidence for the importance of the genetic contribution in inflammatory bowel diseases. Genome wide scanning has been remarkably successful in identifying a number of susceptibility loci. The identification of the IBD1 gene on chromosome 16 as NOD2/CARD15 definitely establishes that a significant proportion of Crohn's disease has an underlying genetic cause. In addition, our knowledge of the clinical impact of other genes in modelling disease phenotypes has increased in parallel. These results have led to great optimism that important clinical applications will result from genetic research in the near future.
Tamboli
Cyrus P
CP
Department of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Hôpital Claude Huriez, Lille, France.
Cortot
Antoine
A
Colombel
Jean-Frédéric
JF
D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009154:Mutation; D053473:Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein; D010641:Phenotype
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C429018:NOD2 protein, human; D053473:Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein