Analysis of 45 candidate genes for disease modifying activity in multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common inflammatory disease of the central nervous system unsurpassed for its variability in disease outcome. As little is conclusively known about MS disease mechanisms, we have selected a variety of candidate genes that may influence the prognosis of the disease based on their function. A cohort of sporadic MS cases, taken from opposite extremes of the putative distribution of long-term outcome using the most stringent clinical criteria to date, was used to determine the role of on MS disease severity. The MS cases selected represent the prognostic best 5 % (benign MS) and worst 5 % (malignant MS) of cases in terms of clinical outcome assessed by the EDSS. Genotyping the two sets of MS patients (112 benign and 51 malignant) and a replication cohort from Sardinia provided no evidence to suggest that the genes selected have any outcome modifying activity, although small effects of these genes cannot be ruled out.
Ramagopalan
Sreeram V
SV
Dept. of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, Level 3, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
Deluca
Gabriele C
GC
Morrison
Katie M
KM
Herrera
Blanca M
BM
Dyment
David A
DA
Lincoln
Matthew R
MR
Orton
Sarah-Michelle
SM
Chao
Michael J
MJ
Degenhardt
Alexandra
A
Pugliatti
Maura
M
Sadovnick
A Dessa
AD
Sotgiu
Stefano
S
Ebers
George C
GC
D017668:Age of Onset; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index