Abstract
Recent advances have provided substantial insight into the maintenance of mucosal immunity and the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Cellular programs responsible for intestinal homeostasis use diverse intracellular and intercellular networks to promote immune tolerance, inflammation or epithelial restitution. Complex interfaces integrate local host and microbial signals to activate appropriate effector programs selectively and even drive plasticity between these programs. In addition, genetic studies and mouse models have emphasized the role of genetic predispositions and how they affect interactions with microbial and environmental factors, leading to pro-colitogenic perturbations of the host–commensal relationship.
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Acknowledgements
R.J.X., A.G. and B.K. are supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. We apologize to those whose work is not cited owing to space constraints.
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Khor, B., Gardet, A. & Xavier, R. Genetics and pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Nature 474, 307–317 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10209
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10209
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