Genetic Links to Gastrointesitinal Disorders

A recent study on Crohns disease and colitis, both autoimmune disorders of the gut, found that the diseases were genetically linked. Crohn's disease and colitis are both contributors to Inflammatory Bowel Disease, where colitis only effects the colon and Crohns may effect any of the gastrointestinal regions. Dr. Ramnik Xavier, one of the authors in this study stated that, “We used genome-wide association studies in combination with fine mapping tools ... to identify genetic factors that either increase or decrease the risk for developing these diseases".



These diseases have been heavily studied and only a couple of genes had previously been linked to these diseases. As of recently though, about 163 loci have been related to these diseases, with close to 71 of these loci being contributed from this study alone. With data from his own lab and team, Xavier was able to identify several pathways in which these genes were associated with these diseases and thanks to the help of different labs the specific genes linked to these conditions were identified. An observation that the researchers made was the the genes associated with IBD diseases also contributed to risk of type-1 diabetes and psoriasis. It is in hope that through the results of this study, further measures can be taken to help identify specific clues to understanding disease pathogenesis.

Article:      http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/11/9/gut-diseases-genetics/

Sub-Article:       http://www.news-medical.net/news/2007/04/17/23647.aspx