Are small RNAs associated with Crohn's disease?

Two-dimensional and bidirectional electrophoretic techniques previously developed for the specific detection of circular viroids and virusoids in plants material were used to analyze preparations of low molecular weight RNA from the granulomatous bowel tissue of patients with Crohn's disease and from corresponding tissue of healthy controls. A major and two minor RNA species of about 300 nucleotides length were detected in RNA samples from eight Crohn's disease patients and not in those from three healthy controls. It remains to be established whether these disease-associated RNAs with viroid-like electrophoretic properties play a causative role in Crohn's disease.