Virus Plus Gene Mutation Spurs Crohn's Disease in Mice

Saw an article about a new study that found a specific link between a gene mutation and virus that caused Crohn's Disease in mice. The study found that mice that had a gene variant linked to Crohn's Disease only developed Crohn's symptoms when they were infected by a specific, common norovirus called MNV.

Here's an excerpt:

Two years ago, the researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and others discovered that mice with an ATG16L1 gene variant associated with Crohn's disease in humans develop similar abnormalities in gut immune cells called Paneth cells. But the mutation alone wasn't enough to trigger Crohn's disease.

In a routine screening, the team later found that mice with the gene variant developed Crohn's disease symptoms within seven days after exposure to the MNV norovirus.

The study appears in the June 25 issue of the journal Cell.

It's been suspected that autoimmune and other diseases might be influenced by viral infections, but "this is the first really clear indication of a disease caused by a susceptibility gene and a specific virus," study co-leader Thaddeus Stappenback said in a journal news release.

That last statement is important. They found a specific viral infection that can trigger the disease for a specific genetic predisposition. Given there are many genetic markers for CD, there may be many possible viral infections (or bacterial infections) that can trigger the disease. So there is lots of research still to be done. But this is an important finding. As an aside, I had another recent post about a bacteria triggering arthritis in mice, so there are many angles on this research.