Genetic insights into the association between inflammatory bowel disease and Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Myeloid cells, including monocytes, macrophages, microglia, dendritic cells and neutrophils are a part of innate immune system, playing a major role in orchestrating innate and adaptive immune responses. Both Alzheimers disease (AD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) susceptibility loci are enriched for genes expressed in myeloid cells, but it is not clear whether these myeloid risk factors are shared between the two diseases. Leveraging results of genome-wide association studies, we investigated the causal effect of IBD (including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease (CD)) variants on AD and its endophenotypes. Microglia and monocyte expression Quantitative Trait Locus (eQTLs) were used to examine the functional consequences of IBD and AD variants. Our results revealed distinct sets of genes and pathways of AD and IBD susceptibility loci. Specifically, AD loci are enriched for microglial eQTLs, while IBD loci are enriched for monocyte eQTLs. However, we also found that genetically determined IBD is associated with a protective effect against AD (p<0.03). Yet, a genetic propensity for the CD subtype is associated with increased amyloid accumulation (beta=7.14, p-value=0.02) and susceptibility to AD. Susceptibility to UC was associated with increased deposition of TDP-43 (beta=7.58, p-value=6.11x10-4). The relation of these gastrointestinal inflammatory disease to AD is therefore complex; while the different subsets of susceptibility variants preferentially affect different myeloid cell subtypes, there do appear to be certain shared pathways and the possible protective effect of IBD susceptibility on the risk of AD which may provide therapeutic insights.