Association of ulcerative colitis with atopic dermatitis: identification of shared and unique mechanisms by construction and computational analysis of disease maps
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Background and Aims
Ulcerative colitis (UC) and atopic dermatitis (AD) are immune-mediated inflammatory diseases with limited treatment options. They are known to be related which may explain higher risk of development of UC in patients with AD. The goal of this work is to review and analyse molecular mechanisms of UC in comparison to AD towards insights into UC complexity, potential comorbidities and novel therapies.
Methods
We developed graphical computational models of UC and AD molecular mechanisms (disease maps) by integrating information from over 800 manually curated articles. The maps are available online at https://imi-immuniverse.elixir-luxembourg.org . Disease-specific risk variants and gene expression profiles are visualised to identify signatures specific to UC, and shared with AD. Computational analysis shows key proteins, their interactions and pathways shared between UC and AD.
Results
UC and AD maps include more than 2000 molecular interactions. Systematic computational comparison shows that both disorders exhibit epithelial barrier dysfunction, immune dysregulation involving abnormal Th2, Th1 and ILC response, common inflammatory pathways and biomarkers such as IL-13, IL-4R, IFNG, and IL-18. Visualisation and analysis of omics data demonstrates UC map usability.
Conclusions
We developed the first computational graphic model of UC molecular mechanisms. Its content focuses on mechanisms of epithelial barrier disruption and downstream immune dysregulation through cytokines and other mediators. The comparison of UC to AD mechanisms demonstrates common signalling pathways and biomarkers, and supports potential drug repurposing and treatment options. The workflow can be reused and new findings can be dynamically integrated into the maps.
