Risk predisposition for Crohn disease: a "ménage à trois" combining IRGM allele, miRNA and xenophagy.

Susceptibility to Crohn disease (CD), an inflammatory bowel disease, is influenced by common variants at many loci like the exonic synonymous IRGM SNP (rs10065172, NM_001145805.1, c.313C>T). We recently showed that miR-196 is overexpressed in the inflammatory intestinal epithelia of individuals with CD and downregulates the IRGM protective (c.313C) but not the risk-associated (c.313T) allele. Eventually, loss of: IRGM/miRNA regulation compromises xenophagy. These results highlight a critical "ménage à trois" in risk susceptibility combining IRGM allele, miRNA and xenophagy.