Scientists crack mystery of how MS gene spread

 

In this article by Philippa Roxby, the author discusses research into why certain diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) are more common in certain parts of Europe.

To determine why, researchers extracted genetic information from 5,000 ancient humans. The discovered that the gene increasing the risk of MS entered North-Western Europe around 5,000 years ago along with the arrival of a population of nomadic cattle herders. It was discovered that that MS is driven by genes that would have protected the herders against diseases carried by their cattle. In the modern age, due to vastly different lifestyles, these gene variants are now associated with a higher risk of diseases such as MS.

The attached articles were also quite interesting to me. In the second article, something that stood out to me was a quote from a scientist not associated with the study. She stated that studies such as this should be extended outside of Europe to understand how historical population differences contribute to the risk of autoimmune diseases. I emphatically agree with her; I generally find that I only hear about discoveries such as this taking place in Europe. I believe we as scientists need to broaden our horizons and extend our research worldwide. 

Article: Scientists crack mystery of how MS gene spread

Additional Information: Gene that protected humans 5,000 years ago may be linked to debilitating modern disease

Myelin formation, limb function restored in MS mouse models

In this study researchers have found that they can restore myelin formation and limb function in mice with MS with the microRNA miR-219.  Multiple sclerosis is a disease that attacks the central nervous system.  This disease destroys the myelin sheath and also oligodendrocytes.  Patients with MS lack miR-219.  Researchers deleted miR-219 in mouse models and found that several proteins that prevent myelin formation were present with the absence of the microRNA.  Then they administered a synthetic version of miR-219 to the MS mice and found that myelin-producing cells were reactivated.  This led to reformation of mylelin and improved limb function.

This could lead to a huge breakthrough in the treatment of MS for humans.  MS is a horrible illness and millions of people in the world are affected by it.  This disease could potentially be eliminated from the gene pool with more advances in medicine.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316599.php
http://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/fulltext/S1534-5807(17)30122-3

Multiple Sclerosis: 48 additional genetic variants found that are associated with the disease

 

Earlier in September of 2013, scientists from the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (IMSCG) made a groundbreaking discovery that sheds more light on the neurological disease of multiple sclerosis, or MS. These scientists discovered that there are 48 additional genetic variants that affect the ability of being diagnosed with MS.

 

Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which an affected individual's immune system destroys the myelin sheath around the nerve. This deterioration of the myelin sheath causes a disturbance in the passage and reception of nerve cells throughout the body. Some of the common symptoms of MS are: blurred vision, dizziness, loss of sensation, depression, muscle spasms, numbness, and loss of coordination and/or balance. It has been found that over 2.5 million individuals suffer from MS all over the world. The inheritance of this disease is also possible; it is more likely for one to get the disease if they have other relatives that have had it as well.

 

 

The individuals of the IMSCG group used a genotyping piece of technology called the ImmunoChip. The ImmunoChip was created to determine genetic variants that are associated with certain diseases. These researchers used the ImmunoChip to study over 29,000 MS affected genomes and over 50,000 unaffected genomes. With these 48 new genetic variants that were discovered, the amount of genetic variants related to MS now equals 110. And while this seems that there was a decent amount of the disease most recently discovered and understood, the article from Science Daily says that these findings added to the older findings only accounts for about 20% of the genetic side of MS.

 

I find these findings are very important because the more researchers can break apart this disease, the more specific they can get to understand what needs to be done in order to administer some sort of relief to the affected individuals. The more these scientists understand about the molecular break down of the disease, the more likely they will be able to come up with drugs and treatment options for these individuals that suffer from multiple sclerosis. While it seems like these individuals have a long way to go in order to reach this goal, these individuals just doubled their previous knowledge just in this one experiment alone. If they continue to study and dive deeper and deeper into the molecular biology and genetics, the closer a cure for MS is most definitely in sight.

 

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130930093858.htm

http://www.stemcellmd.org/conditions-treated/neurological-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/

Nanoparticles Stop Multiple Sclerosis In Mice

According to Medical News Today there has been a breakthrough of a new experimental treatment that uses nanoparticles covered with proteins to trick the immune system. These nanoparticles managed to stop disease in mice with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis and by administering these particles the disease stopped abruptly. Not only did the disease stop, the nanoparticles prevented future relapses for up to 100 days in the mice which correlates to several years in humans. This approach is very similar as to using a patients white blood cells and researchers think it would be cheaper and easier.

Multiple Sclerosis is an auto-immune disease when the immune system attacks the bodies healthy tissues by mistake and releases harmful pathogens that can give rise to different diseases. Myelin, which is the protein that forms a protective shield around the nerve endings of the brain, gets attacked and destroyed and this prevents electrical signals from traveling resulting in mild numbness up to paralysis. Around 80% of people with Multiple Sclerosis have the relapsing remitting type of the disease leading them to experience the symptoms on and off. By coating nanoparticles with myelin proteins it tricks the immune system into thinking myelin is friendly so it doesn't get destroyed. These nanoparticles are 200 times thinner than human hair and are the same material as dissolvable stitches. Once the particles were injected into the mice they travel to the spleen where they were engulfed by macrophages. This in turn made the immune system think that the nanoparticles were regular blood cells and not something that should be attacked.

This therapy has multiple benefits because it does not compromise the immune system like other current therapies do. By suppressing the immune system the Multiple Sclerosis patients would be more vulnerable to infections and diseases such as cancer. The big excitement of this discovery is that it may have the ability to be used in many immune-related diseases by simply changing the antigen that is delivered to the body. Currently the researchers are testing nanoparticles in hope to treat type 1 diabetes and asthma. Not only can these particles make a significant difference in medicine but they are easily produced and easily accessible. It is exciting to read articles like this and know that we are so close to curing such common diseases that people suffer with on a daily basis.

Scientist Deepen Genetic Understanding of Multiple Sclerosis

  

Scientist have discovered 30 percent of our likelihood of developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This is explained by 475,806 genetic variants in our genome. Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) are looking for genetic links to this disease. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, and the most common neurological disorder in young adults. Canada has one of the highest ratings for MS. Corey Watson at University Doctoral Graduate in Biology compared MS patients with non MS patients and found that 8 percent of our 30 percent genetic susceptibility to MS is linked to small DNA variations on chromosome 6.  MHC encodes proteins that facilitate communication between certain cells in the immune system. Reserachers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York,  are looking for additional causes of MS to be found in genes that have varients that are rare to find in the population. These varients are poorly represented by their genetic markers.

I think this is very unfortunate for young adults that have this disease. The inflammation occurs when the body's own immune cell attack the nervous system and researchers are having a hard time finding a cure because they do not know whether this is genetic or a virus that is causing this disease. All researchers have found is therapies to help slow down the disease but even then adults do not feel like their normal selves.  As of right now there is no known life expectancy and people with MS can still function at work. Hopefully soon researchers will be able to tell whether this disease is genetic or viral.

Restrict the Enzyme for MS

There has been an enzyme recently found called Kallikrein 6 which is present in multiple sclerosis lesions that could be the key to curing the disease.  This enzyme is associated with the inflammation in some neurodegenerative dieases, and now there may be an antibody that is able to neutralize it.



Using this antibody in mice, the researchers were able to slow down the course of the disease in the brain and the spinal cord.  Multiple sclerosis is thought to result in an abnormal immune response in the brain and spinal cord.  The mice that were infected with the disease were treated with the antibodies and the results showedthe Kallikrein 6 enzyme and a reduced number of the inflammatory white blood cells.  Kallikrein 6 also occurs in other neurological diseases so scientists think that it is a good molecule to try other tests on.

 

Gut Bacteria Linked to M.S.

In this article researches have possibly linked gut bacteria with multiple sclerosis (MS). They found in mice that even normal intestinal bacteria triggers this disorder. Some mice were genetically engineered to receive MS but without any gut bacteria they did not get the disease. But once germ free mice were injected with the bacteria they developed MS. Previous research has shown that intestinal bacteria has caused MS, diabetes and arthritis. Gut bacteria though helps the immune system develop properly. The possible link of MS and gut bacteria needs further research to see whether or not a faulty immune system that reacts inappropriately to gut bacteria, or if some specific bacterium sets off the chain reaction.