Cerebrospinal fluid progranulin levels in patients with different multiple sclerosis subtypes.
Progranulin has recently attracted attention due to the discovery of mutations in its encoding gene (GRN) in several cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, but also for a possible role in inflammatory processes. In adult central nervous system, GRN mRNA is expressed in forebrain, olfactory bulbs and spinal cord. Progranulin cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels were evaluated in 55 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as in 35 subjects with non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND), 7 individuals with other inflammatory neurological disease (OIND) and 8 controls (CON), matched for ethnic background, gender and age. No statistically significant differences were found in patients compared with either NIND, OIND or CON (P>0.05), even stratifying according to disease subtype or gender. A positive correlation between progranulin CSF levels and age was observed in patients (rho=0.29, P=0.03). According to these data, progranulin does not likely play a major role in the pathogenesis of MS.
De Riz
Milena
M
Department of Neurological Sciences, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, via F. Sforza, 35, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Galimberti
Daniela
D
Fenoglio
Chiara
C
Piccio
Laura M
LM
Scalabrini
Diego
D
Venturelli
Eliana
E
Pietroboni
Anna
A
Piola
Mirko
M
Naismith
Robert T
RT
Parks
Becky J
BJ
Fumagalli
Giorgio
G
Bresolin
Nereo
N
Cross
Anne H
AH
Scarpini
Elio
E
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020528:Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000077153:Progranulins; D012737:Sex Factors
C492314:GRN protein, human; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D000077153:Progranulins