Association between microchimerism and multiple sclerosis in Canadian twins.
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.
Willer
Cristen J
CJ
Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Herrera
Blanca M
BM
Morrison
Katie M E
KM
Sadovnick
A D
AD
Ebers
George C
GC
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*