Immune markers mediate genetic relationships between immune diseases and psychiatric disorders.

Genetic mediation by six immune markers, especially IL-6, explains 11 immune-psychiatric disease links, with IL-6 mediating 60% of the genetic connection between internalizing disorders and Crohn's disease.

• Why it matters: Understanding the biological mechanisms linking immune-mediated diseases and psychiatric disorders remains limited, hindering targeted diagnosis and treatment strategies.
• What they did: Genomic structural equation modeling was used to analyze the mediating role of 14 immune markers across 11 immune diseases and 13 psychiatric disorders, revealing significant mediating effects for six markers.
• The result: The findings highlight specific immune markers, notably IL-6, as key mediators in the genetic relationships, providing mechanistic insights and emphasizing their potential diagnostic relevance, while CRP was not a significant mediator.