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Human IRGM gene "to be or not to be".

Human IRGM gene "to be or not to be".

Authors :
Bekpen C
Xavier RJ
Eichler EE
Source :
Seminars in immunopathology [Semin Immunopathol] 2010 Dec; Vol. 32 (4), pp. 437-44. Date of Electronic Publication: 2010 Aug 25.
Publication Year :
2010

Abstract

The immunity-related GTPases (IRG proteins) are one of the strongest early resistance systems against intracellular pathogens. The IRG gene family contains 21 copies arranged as tandem gene clusters on two chromosomes in the C57BL/6 mouse genome but has been reduced to only two copies in humans: IRGC and IRGM. IRGC is not involved in immunity, but the human IRGM gene plays a role in autophagy-targeted destruction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (BCG) and Salmonella typhimurium. Variant IRGM haplotypes have been associated with increased risk for Crohn's disease and correlated with differential expression of IRGM transcripts. This article reviews in detail the studies performed on human samples, in vitro, and in sequence analyses that provide evidence for the unusual evolutionary history of the IRGM locus and the important role of the IRGM gene in autophagy and Crohn's disease in response to pathogenesis.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1863-2300
Volume :
32
Issue :
4
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Seminars in immunopathology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
20737271
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-010-0224-x