Genetic and Epigenetic Modifiers of Immune Dysregulation: A Comprehensive Review

Bwanbale Geoffrey David

Faculty of Pharmacy Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

Immune dysregulation arises from a complex interplay between genetic predisposition, environmental exposures, and dynamic epigenetic modifications that collectively shape immune cell development, signaling, and responsiveness. Over the past two decades, rapid advances in genomics and epigenomics have elucidated key mechanisms by which inherited variants, somatic mutations, DNA methylation, histone modifications, microRNAs, and chromatin remodeling contribute to abnormal immune activation or suppression. These mechanisms underlie a wide spectrum of disorders, including autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, immunodeficiency, cancer-associated immune escape, and aberrant responses to infection. This review synthesizes current knowledge on major genetic and epigenetic determinants of immune dysregulation, highlighting the molecular pathways involved, their clinical significance, and the interplay between developmental and environmental influences. Emerging insights into gene-environment interactions, including the effects of diet, stress, xenobiotics, and the microbiome on immune epigenetics, reveal new therapeutic opportunities. Understanding how diverse layers of regulation converge on immune homeostasis provides a foundation for precision medicine approaches aimed at diagnosing, predicting, and treating diseases associated with immune imbalance.

Keywords: Immune dysregulation, genetic variants, epigenetic regulation, DNA methylation, microRNAs

 

CITE AS: Bwanbale Geoffrey David (2026). Genetic and Epigenetic Modifiers of Immune Dysregulation: A Comprehensive Review.

IDOSR JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 12(1):51-55. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSR/JST/26/113.5155