Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Feb;105(2):360-2. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2009.573.
Recent research has suggested that a family of antimicrobial and inflammatory molecules, called beta-defensins, are involved in the etiology of Crohn's disease. In this issue, Bentley and colleagues provide data that disagree with previous studies. They show that the beta-defensins that are copy number polymorphic have, on average, higher genomic copy number in patients when compared with healthy controls. This editorial places these new data in the context of previous research on the genetics of beta-defensin copy number polymorphism and association with Crohn's disease. It also suggests a path allowing this research area to move forward with confidence.
最近的研究表明，一组被称为β-防御素的抗菌和炎症分子与克罗恩病的病因有关。在本期中，Bentley 及其同事提供的数据与之前的研究结果不一致。他们表明，与健康对照组相比，数量多态性的β-防御素的平均基因组拷贝数更高。这篇社论将这些新数据置于之前关于β-防御素拷贝数多态性与克罗恩病遗传关联的研究背景下，并提出了一条使该研究领域充满信心地向前推进的途径。
