The role of epigenetic modifications for the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease

M. Hornschuh, E. Wirthgen, M. Wolfien, K. P. Singh, O. Wolkenhauer, J. Däbritz*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview article / Perspectivespeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

Epigenetics has become a promising field for finding new biomarkers and improving diagnosis, prognosis, and drug response in inflammatory bowel disease. The number of people suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases, especially Crohn's disease, has increased remarkably. Crohn's disease is assumed to be the result of a complex interplay between genetic susceptibility, environmental factors, and altered intestinal microbiota, leading to dysregulation of the innate and adaptive immune response. While many genetic variants have been identified to be associated with Crohn's disease, less is known about the influence of epigenetics in the pathogenesis of this disease. In this review, we provide an overview of current epigenetic studies in Crohn's disease. In particular, we enable a deeper insight into applied bioanalytical and computational tools, as well as a comprehensive update toward the cell-specific evaluation of DNA methylation and histone modifications.

Original languageEnglish
Article number108
JournalClinical Epigenetics
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Biostatistics
  • Crohn's disease
  • DNA methylation
  • Epigenetic modifications
  • Epigenetic technologies
  • Inflammatory bowel disease

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