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A gene implicated in the digestive disorder, Crohn’s disease, has been
discovered independently by teams in the US and Europe. The researchers told a
conference in Atlanta this week that they had traced some cases of the disease
to defects in a gene called Nod2. Healthy copies of the gene help regulate how
the immune system deals with gut microbes. The ulceration common in the disease
is thought to result from the immune system mistakenly attacking the gut lining.
The researchers believe that this might occur in some Crohn’s patients because
they have defective Nod2. The studies will appear in next week’s
Nature.