Single-cell analysis of chromatin accessibility in the human intestine identifies regulatory programs and clarifies genetic associations in Crohn's disease.

Cell-type-specific chromatin accessibility in the human intestine reveals that Crohn's disease heritability is primarily enriched in T cells and neutrophils, with 30 variants located within cCREs.

• Why it matters: Understanding the cellular and regulatory mechanisms underlying Crohn's disease is crucial for elucidating its genetic basis and developing targeted therapies, as current knowledge of cell-type contributions remains incomplete.
• What they did: The study constructed a detailed atlas of 557,310 candidate cis-regulatory elements across different cell types, locations, and disease states in the human intestine from 23 Crohn's patients and 16 healthy controls, identifying specific regulatory programs and variants.
• The result: This resource confirms the key role of immune cells in Crohn's disease heritability, highlights the cellular complexity involved, and provides a foundation for studying gene regulation and genetic risk in Crohn's disease.