Gardet A, Benita Y, Li C et al. J Immunol 2010;185:5577–85.
LRRK2 is a likely candidate gene in a confirmed Crohn’s disease susceptibility locus at chromosomal region 12q12. Little is known regarding the function of this gene. In this study, LRRK2 is shown to be expressed in immune cells of the lamina propria, to be an interferon-target gene, and to have a role in bacterial killing.
The locus at 12q12 was identified as a Crohn’s disease susceptibility locus in the first International IBD Genetics Consortium (IIBDGC) meta-analysis [1]. Two genes of interest reside within the region of association: MUC19 and LRRK2. Association with LRRK2 has additionally been described for Parkinson’s disease and leprosy, but not for ulcerative colitis (UC). The mutant LRRK2 protein implicated in Parkinson’s disease has effects on cell death and autophagy. However, the details of these potential roles are poorly understood and nothing is known about the potential function of wild-type/mutant LRRK2 in intestinal homeostasis and Crohn’s disease.