IntroductionCrohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis are 2 main classical types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (1, 2). The etiology of IBD involves genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers. Over 200 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with susceptibility to IBD (3-7). This complex genetic network indicates that IBD likely encompasses more than the 2 classical subtypes. Therefore, novel, rationally designed biomarkers that can lead to disease stratification and personalized treatments are needed (8). One candidate method to subtype CD is to define the morphological patterns of small intestinal Paneth cells based on the intracellular distribution of granules containing antimicrobial proteins (Paneth cell phenotypes) (7). Paneth cells are specialized secretory cells located at the bases of the crypts of Lieberkühn in the small intestine (9-11). These cells produce a wide repertoire of antimicrobial BACKGROUND. Morphological patterns of Paneth cells are a prognostic biomarker in Western Crohn's disease (CD) patients, and are associated with autophagy-associated ATG16L1 and NOD2 variants. We hypothesized that genetic determinants of Paneth cell phenotype in other ethnic CD cohorts are distinct but also involved in autophagy.