Gene Mutation Weakens Virus-Fighting Protein in the Gut Causing Rare Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Johns Hopkins MedicineJohns Hopkins Medicine researchers, in collaboration with national and international researchers, have identified a genetic mutation in a small number of children with a rare type of inflammatory bowel disease. The discovery of the mutation, which weakens the activity of a protein linked to how the immune system fights viruses in the gut, may help researchers pinpoint the cause of more common bowel diseases, investigators say.