Team studies biology of IBD gene CARD9 by examining protective allele

The gene CARD9 codes for a central component of the innate anti-fungal immune response and has recently been associated with risk for several immune-related disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). New research from the lab of Ó³»­´«Ã½ institute member looks to a rare CARD9 variant, which is strongly protective against IBD, to uncover the basic biology of the gene as well as its regulation. , published this week in Immunity, also offers a potential mechanism for the protective allele.