Etiology of Crohn's disease: many roads lead to autophagy

J Mol Med (Berl). 2012 Sep;90(9):987-96. doi: 10.1007/s00109-012-0934-8. Epub 2012 Jul 14.

Abstract

Crohn's disease is a complex multifactor diseases that occur in individuals with genetic predisposition in whom environmental and microbial triggers cause a deleterious chronic immune response. Susceptibility to Crohn's disease is influenced by common variants at many loci. Genetic studies have emphasized the role of host susceptibility in inflammatory bowel disease onset with the identification of about 100 risk loci, most of which encode proteins involved in immunity, host defense against microbes, and gut homeostasis. In this review, we focus on susceptibility genes related to autophagy in the etiology of Crohn's disease (CD) and their complex interplay with the gut microbiota, as illustrated by the relationship between immunity-related GTPase family M alleles, microRNA, and xenophagy in CD predisposition.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autophagy*
  • Crohn Disease / etiology
  • Crohn Disease / genetics*
  • Crohn Disease / microbiology*
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / metabolism
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / microbiology
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Humans
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • Polymorphism, Genetic

Substances

  • MicroRNAs
  • GTP-Binding Proteins