New Study Suggests Immune Genes Help Determine Sites of MS
Damage and Symptoms
View
or print this bulletin in its original format.
Medical Update Memo
June 10, 2008
SUMMARY
Australian investigators funded by the National
MS Society (USA) and MS Australia have published
results suggesting that a person’s
set of immune-related genes may help determine
which parts of the brain and spinal cord
are attacked by the immune system during
the course of their MS, and may explain why
individuals with MS experience tissue damage,
and corresponding symptoms, differently.
Judith M. Greer, PhD, and colleagues (University
of Queensland, Australia) report their findings
in the May 1 issue of The Journal of Immunology.
DETAILS
Background: A complex issue in MS research
is that the areas in the brain and spinal
cord in which damage to nerve-insulating
myelin occurs can vary dramatically from
person to person. The sites targeted by the
immune attack have a profound impact on the
types of symptoms a person is likely to experience.
In MS, immune cells called T cells appear
to mistakenly react against a variety of
myelin proteins. Previous studies have hinted
that the particular myelin protein that triggers
this immune response may be correlated with
different locations of myelin damage. Dr.
Greer’s team has been examining a possible
link between a genetically determined molecular “ID
tag” – called the human leukocyte
antigen (HLA) – carried on a person’s
cells, and the location of MS lesions.
This Study: The group tested T cell and immune
antibody reactivity in blood samples from 100
people with MS, 70 people without MS, and 48
people with other neurological disorders. Forty
of the people with MS showed increased reactivity
to one or more myelin proteins, compared to
those without MS. Of those, the team found
a highly significant correlation between reactivity
to specific portions of a major myelin protein
called proteolipid protein (PLP) and development
of lesions in the brainstem (the lowest part
of the brain) and cerebellum (the back of the
brain). Clinical symptoms associated with these
types of lesions include abnormalities of eye
movement or weakness, difficulty with speech
and swallowing, loss of sensation in the face,
facial pain called trigeminal neuralgia, and
others. Lesions in the brainstem and cerebellum
also significantly correlated with those carrying
specific HLA genes – HLA-DR4, HLA-DR7,
or HLA-DR13.
"This study provides us with a new clue
as to why people with MS have such different
experiences,” says John R. Richert, MD,
Executive Vice President of Research & Clinical
Programs for the National MS Society. “It
will be important to expand and build on these
results. Explaining the biologic basis for
differences in MS-related damage may lead to
more targeted treatment strategies and better
ways of predicting the course of MS.”
ASK MS Information System Code: 2.6.o
With information from the National MS Society
(USA)
National Client Services
Medical Information and Education
Offert en français.
Disclaimer
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is an independent, voluntary health
agency and does not approve, endorse or recommend any specific product or therapy,
but provides information to assist individuals in making their own decisions.
Back
to top
 |
