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Confirming what we all know--this disease is impossibly complex. - Dave
Researchers Uncover New Genes Linked to Multiple Sclerosis
NASHVILLE, Tenn -- August 10, 2011 -- An international team of scientists has identified 29 new genetic variants linked to multiple sclerosis (MS), providing key insights into the biology of an important and very debilitating neurological disease.
The research published today in the journal Nature, represents the largest MS genetics study ever undertaken, and effectively doubles the number of genes known to be associated with the disease.
“We now know just how complex multiple sclerosis is,” said Jonathan Haines, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Center for Human Genetic Research (CHGR), Nashville, Tennessee. “These new genes give us many new clues as to what is happening in MS and will guide our research efforts for years to come.”
Researchers studied the DNA from 9,772 individuals with MS and 17,376 unrelated healthy controls. They were able to confirm 23 previously known genetic associations and identified a further 29 new genetic variants (and an additional 5 that are strongly suspected) conferring susceptibility to the disease.
Many genes implicated in the study are relevant to the immune system, shedding light onto the immunological pathways that underlie the development of MS.
One-third of the genes identified in the study have previously been implicated in playing a role in other autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s Disease and type
1 diabetes, Dr. Haines said.
Previous studies have also suggested a link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of MS; researchers in this study identified 2 genes involved in the metabolism of vitamin D, providing additional insight into a possible link between genetic and environmental risk factors.
SOURCE: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Researchers Uncover New Genes Linked to Multiple Sclerosis
NASHVILLE, Tenn -- August 10, 2011 -- An international team of scientists has identified 29 new genetic variants linked to multiple sclerosis (MS), providing key insights into the biology of an important and very debilitating neurological disease.
The research published today in the journal Nature, represents the largest MS genetics study ever undertaken, and effectively doubles the number of genes known to be associated with the disease.
“We now know just how complex multiple sclerosis is,” said Jonathan Haines, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Center for Human Genetic Research (CHGR), Nashville, Tennessee. “These new genes give us many new clues as to what is happening in MS and will guide our research efforts for years to come.”
Researchers studied the DNA from 9,772 individuals with MS and 17,376 unrelated healthy controls. They were able to confirm 23 previously known genetic associations and identified a further 29 new genetic variants (and an additional 5 that are strongly suspected) conferring susceptibility to the disease.
Many genes implicated in the study are relevant to the immune system, shedding light onto the immunological pathways that underlie the development of MS.
One-third of the genes identified in the study have previously been implicated in playing a role in other autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s Disease and type
1 diabetes, Dr. Haines said.
Previous studies have also suggested a link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of MS; researchers in this study identified 2 genes involved in the metabolism of vitamin D, providing additional insight into a possible link between genetic and environmental risk factors.
SOURCE: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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