Methylation of a Gene Promoter and Multiple Sclerosis
Author Information
Author(s): Ramagopalan Sreeram V, Dyment David A, Morrison Katie M, Herrera Blanca M, DeLuca Gabriele C, Lincoln Matthew R, Orton Sarah M, Handunnetthi Lahiru, Chao Michael J, Sadovnick A Dessa, Ebers George C
Primary Institution: Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford
Hypothesis
Does methylation of the MHC2TA promoter contribute to the risk of Multiple Sclerosis?
Conclusion
The study found no evidence that methylation of the MHC2TA promoter contributes to the risk of Multiple Sclerosis.
Supporting Evidence
- No methylation or sequence variation of the MHC2TA promoter pIV was found.
- Monozygotic twins share a common genotype but can have different disease susceptibilities.
- The study used a cohort of monozygotic MS discordant twins to examine methylation differences.
Takeaway
The researchers looked at DNA from twins to see if a specific gene's methylation was linked to Multiple Sclerosis, but they found no connection.
Methodology
DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of monozygotic disease discordant MS twins was sequenced and analyzed by methylation specific PCR.
Limitations
The study may have missed tissue-specific methylation and low-level methylation patterns.
Participant Demographics
50 pairs of monozygotic twins, 35 female and 15 male pairs, average age 41.1 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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