Epigenetic and microbiome changes in IBD patients

Intestinal epigenome and microbiome changes during pediatric development have been implicated as important elements in the developmental origins of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD; including Crohn’s disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]), which link to early onset colorectal cancer (CRC). Among the epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation (the methylation of cytosine within CpG dinucleotides) is a prime candidate for the developmental origins of diseases. Nevertheless, associations between shifting DNA methylation and metagenome changes during childhood and adolescence have not been examined in the colonic mucosa, especially in respect to IBD, or CRC.