When genetics meets epigenetics: deciphering the mechanisms controlling inter-individual variation in immune responses to infection

The response of host immune cells to microbial stimuli is dependent on robust and coordinated gene expression programs involving the transcription of thousands of genes. The dysregulation of such regulatory programs is likely to significantly contribute to the marked differences in susceptibility to infectious diseases observed among individuals and between human populations. Although the specific factors leading to a dysfunctional immune response to infection remain largely unknown, we are increasingly appreciating the importance of genetic variants in altering the expression levels of immune-related genes, possibly via epigenetic changes. This review describes how recent technological advances have profoundly contributed to our current understanding of the genetic architecture and the epigenetic rules controlling immune responses to infectious agents and how genetic and epigenetic data can be combined to unravel the mechanisms associated with host variation in transcriptional responses to infection.