title: Association between microchimerism and multiple sclerosis in Canadian twins.
abstract: Microchimerism, the persistence of foreign cells thought to derive from previous pregnancies, has been associated with autoimmune diseases. A maternal parent-of-origin effect in MS remains unexplained. We tested for microchimerism in monozygotic and dizygotic twin-pairs with MS. Microchimerism was associated with MS in affected females from monozygotic concordant pairs when compared to both affected (p=0.020) and unaffected (p=0.025) females in monozygotic discordant pairs. Microchimerism was increased in affected females of dizygotic discordant pairs (p=0.059). The rate of microchimerism was significantly higher in affected twins than in unaffected co-twins (p=0.0059). These observations show an association in twins between the presence of microchimerism and having MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Cristen J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Willer
authors.forename: Blanca M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: Katie M E
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sadovnick
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ebers
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D046528:Chimerism; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000235:genetics*; D010375:Pedigree; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics*; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics*