IRGM gene variants are associated with susceptibility to Crohn's disease in the German population

Background & Aims: Genome-wide association studies identified the autophagy gene IRGM as susceptibility gene for Crohn's disease (CD), but its impact in ulcerative colitis (UC), its phenotypic effects and potential epistatic interactions with other IBD susceptibility genes are less clear which we therefore analyzed in this detailed study. Methodology: Genomic DNA from 2060 individuals including 817 CD patients, 282 UC patients, and 961 healthy, unrelated controls (all of Caucasian origin) was analyzed for six IRGM SNPs (rs13371189, rs10065172=p.Leu105Leu, rs4958847, rs1000113, rs11747270, rs931058). In all patie…