title: WT1 and interferon-β-vitamin D association in MS: a longitudinal study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been suggested that polymorphisms in the WT1 gene modulate the effect of IFN-β treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS) through regulation of the relationship between IFN-β and vitamin D.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether WT1 modulates the relationship between IFN-β and vitamin D in a longitudinal study with repeated assessment of vitamin D before and after initiation of IFN-β.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective study of 85 patients with relapsing remitting MS, 25-hydroxyvitamin D was measured at month 0, 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 18 and 24. None of the patients used any immunomodulatory treatment at inclusion, and all started IFN-β treatment at month 6.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean concentrations of seasonally adjusted 25-hydroxyvitamin increased slightly (3.1 ± 1.2 nmol/l, P = 0.008) after initiation of IFN-β. The association between IFN-β treatment and 25-hydroxyvitamin D was similar in patients carrying any of the two alleles in the WT1 SNPs (rs10767935 and rs5030244) recently reported to modulate this relationship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this prospective study with repeated measurements of 25-hydroxyvitamin D before and during treatment with IFN-β, we did not find that genetic variation in WT1 plays any role in regulating the relationship between IFN-β and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Holmøy
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Molecular Biology and Laboratory Sciences (EpiGen), Division of Medicine, Akershus University Hospital and University of Oslo, Lørenskog, Norway.
authors.forename: Q Y
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Esbensen
authors.affiliation: The KG Jebsen Centre for MS-Research, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.|The Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Competence Centre, Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ø
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Torkildsen
authors.affiliation: The KG Jebsen Centre for MS-Research, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.|The Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Competence Centre, Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wergeland
authors.affiliation: St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.|Children's and Women's Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Bjerve
authors.affiliation: MS Centre Hakadal, Hakadal, Norway.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Beiske
authors.affiliation: Molde Hospital, Molde, Norway.|Unit for Applied Clinical Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Midgard
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.|Helse Sør-Øst Health Services Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Šaltytė-Benth
authors.affiliation: St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hovdal
authors.affiliation: The KG Jebsen Centre for MS-Research, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.|The Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Competence Centre, Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: K-M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Myhr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D025721:WT1 Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D025721:WT1 Proteins; C583751:WT1 protein, human; D014807:Vitamin D; D016899:Interferon-beta; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D
keywords: multiple sclerosis; treatment