Identification of new loci influencing susceptibility to leprosy
Nature Genetics
October 24, 2011
Two gene variants provide clues into why some individuals are more susceptible to contracting leprosy than others, according to research published online this week in Nature Genetics.
Furen Zhang and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for susceptibility to leprosy. They identify two new risk variants near IL23R and RAB32 genes. The involvement of the IL23R gene variant suggests that cells’ defense against leprosy bacteria involves a normal cellular process known as autophagy, in which a human cell progressively recycles its own components. In this respect, the mechanism of susceptibility of two very different diseases, leprosy and the inflammatory bowel disease Crohn’s disease, may share a biological basis.
doi: 10.1038/ng.973
Research highlights
-
Aug 12
Ageing: Mutations in the ageing human heart identifiedNature Aging
-
Aug 12
Palaeontology: T. rex and relatives traded big eyes for bigger bitesCommunications Biology
-
Aug 10
Epidemiology: Estimating the risk of SARS-related coronaviruses from bats in Southeast AsiaNature Communications
-
Aug 5
Microbiology: Single switch makes Escherichia coli beneficial insect partnerNature Microbiology
-
Aug 5
Conservation: More than half of unassessable species may be at risk of extinctionCommunications Biology
-
Aug 4
Physiology: Restoring cellular functions in pigs after deathNature