Tissue maps and metabolic circuits in IBD

Microenvironment sensing by receptors on different types of cells in the gastrointestinal tract is crucial for intestinal homeostasis. Emerging evidence suggests that aberrant sensing and responses to environmental factors play a key role in initiating or modifying the development of inflammatory diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is a complex multigenic disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Although many clues indicate that host genetic variation and dysfunction of mucosal immunity contribute to the onset and progression of IBD, the complexity of environmental variables and the role of gene-environment interactions in IBD pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. In this presentation I will discuss how genes and metabolites communicate to maintain tissues homeostasis.