Sci. STKE, 5 December 2006 Genetics Of Genes and Gut Reactions
Paula A. Kiberstis Science, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) such as Crohns disease and
ulcerative colitis are thought to be caused by an inappropriate
immune response to commensal intestinal bacteria. There is
strong evidence that these disorders have a genetic component;
for example, individuals carrying specific sequence variants of
the NOD2/CARD15 gene are at increased risk. Now, in a genome-
wide association study, Duerr et al. (published online 26
October; see the Perspective by Cardon) find that a rare
sequence variant of the gene encoding the receptor for
interleukin-23 (IL23R) significantly lowers an individuals risk
of developing IBDs. Interleukin-23 is a cytokine that has
attracted increasing attention because of its role in a wide
range of chronic inflammatory diseases in mouse models,
including IBDs, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis. R. H. Duerr,
K. D. Taylor, S. R. Brant, J. D. Rioux, M. S. Silverber