Crohn's disease in Japanese is associated with a SNP-haplotype of N-acetyltransferase 2 gene.

Aim: To investigate the frequency and distribution of N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) and uridine 5'-diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyltransferase 1A7 (UGT1A7) genes in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: Frequencies and distributions of NAT2 and UGT1A7 SNPs as well as their haplotypes were investigated in 95 patients with UC, 60 patients with CD, and 200 gender-matched, unrelated, healthy, control volunteers by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), PCR-denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC), and direct DNA sequencing.

Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the frequency of haplotype, NAT2*7B, significantly increased in CD patients, compared to that in controls (P = 0.0130, OR = 2.802, 95%CI = 1.243-6.316). However, there was no association between NAT2 haplotypes and UC, or between any UGT1A7 haplotypes and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Conclusion: It is likely that the NAT2 gene is one of the determinants for CD in Japanese. Alternatively, a new CD determinant may exist in the 8p22 region, where NAT2 is located.