Gene expression analysis of crypt base epithelial cells from WT and Nod2-/- mice

Nod2 has been extensively characterized as a bacterial sensor that induces an antimicrobial and inflammatory gene expression program. Therefore, it is unclear why Nod2 mutations that disrupt bacterial recognition are paradoxically among the highest risk factors for Crohns disease, which involves an exaggerated immune response directed at intestinal bacteria. Previous studies from our lab have shown that mice deficient in Atg16L1, another Crohns disease susceptibility gene, develop abnormalities in Paneth cells, specialized epithelial cells in the small intestine involved in antimicrobial responses.

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Ramanan D, Tang MS, Bowcutt R, Loke P, Cadwell K