Evaluation of the established non-MHC multiple sclerosis loci in an Indian population.
BACKGROUND
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating neurodegenerative disorder with a strong genetic component.


OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of MS in India is low compared with white populations of Northern European descent.


METHODS
In order to ascertain whether disease susceptibility genes are the same across different populations, we completed the first investigation in the Indian MS population of 15 MS loci outside of the major histocompatibility (MHC) region that were previously identified and validated with MS susceptibility through genome-wide association and replication studies in white populations.


RESULTS
In total, 197 Indian patients and 197 unrelated controls were analyzed. The most associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within this study was rs6897932 in the IL7R gene, which showed a strong protective effect in this data set (rs 6897932, OR = 0.5543, 95% CI = 0.37-0.78, p = 0.0009727). Two other SNPs were nominally associated with MS in this dataset, namely CLEC16A rs 12708716 (p = 0.0082, OR = 1.478, 95% CI = 1.106-1.975) and CD226 rs763361 (p = 0.03971, OR = 1.353, CI = 1.014-1.805). For the majority of the remaining SNPs (7/14), the trend for association was in the same direction as in previous studies in the white population.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the power of this study was limited, our preliminary data suggest that disease susceptibility genes in MS in the Indian population may be similar to those of western populations.
Department of Neurology, KS Hegde Medical Academy, Mangalore, India. panditmng@gmail.com
Lekha
L
Pandit
Maria
M
Ban
Stephen
S
Sawcer
Bhim
B
Singhal
Shyam
S
Nair
Kurupath
K
Radhakrishnan
Rajesh
R
Shetty
Z
Z
Misri
Suresh
S
Hegde
Irruvathur Gopalakrishna
IG
Bhat
D000328:Adult; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7 / Q000235:genetics*; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics; D000098862:T Lineage-Specific Activation Antigen 1
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000098862:T Lineage-Specific Activation Antigen 1; C522505:CLEC16A protein, human; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7