Palmitoylation in Crohn’s disease: Current status and future directions

Abstract

S-palmitoylation is one of the most common post-translational modifications in nature; however, its importance has been overlooked for decades. Crohn’s disease (CD), a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation involving the entire gastrointestinal tract. Bowel damage and subsequent disabilities caused by CD are a growing global health issue. Well-acknowledged risk factors for CD include genetic susceptibility, environmental factors, such as a westernized lifestyle, and altered gut microbiota. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disorder are not yet comprehensively understood. With the rapidly increasing global prevalence of CD and the evident role of S-palmitoylation in CD, as recently reported, there is a need to investigate the relationship between CD and S-palmitoylation. In this review, we summarize the concept, detection, and function of S-palmitoylation as well as its potential effects on CD, and provide novel insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of CD.

Keywords: S-palmitoylation; Crohn’s disease; STING; Pathogenesis; Signaling pathway; Drug therapy

Core Tip: S-palmitoylation is one of the most common post-translational modifications in nature; however, its importance has been overlooked for decades. Crohn’s disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the entire gastrointestinal tract, whose underlying mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed a key role of S-palmitoylation in CD; therefore, there is a need to elucidate the relationship between CD and S-palmitoylation. This review summarizes the basic facts of S-palmitoylation and its potential effect on CD to provide novel insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of CD.