Association Study of Two Polymorphisms in Vitamin D Pathway with Multiple Sclerosis in the Moroccan Population
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease in which the
insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. It is
the most common non-traumatic cause of neurologic disability in young and
middle-aged adults and is characterized by a complex pathogenesis in which
demyelinating lesions, axonal degeneration and gradual accumulation of
sclerotic plaques are mainly responsible for this handicap.
Hypovitaminosis D is reported through the literature to be involved in
autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In the last
decade, numerous studies have investigated the association of single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) with MS, including rs2248359 (CYP24A1) and rs703842
(CYP27B1) that are involved in vitamin D metabolic pathway. However,
results were conflicting, probably due to ethnic differences between the
studied populations.
In this context, the present study aimed to analyze the association
between these two SNPs (rs2248359 (CYP24A1) and rs703842) and MS within
the Moroccan population. rs2248359 and rs703842 were genotyped in 113
patients and 146 healthy controls. To assess their association with the
disease risk, the authors compared the genotypic and allelic frequencies
between the study groups. They also explored their possible influence on
certain clinical features (age at onset, type, disability status and severity
score) and with vitamin D3 serum level (DSL) by comparing mean values of these
variables between the different genotypes.
The results showed that no statistically significant differences in
the distribution of both SNPs were found between patients and controls. A
trend has emerged concerning the minor G allele of rs703842 which appears to
have a protective effect on developing MS, but this result remained slightly
below significance. Also, the two polymorphisms had no impact on the clinical
features tested and the DSL.
In conclusion, there
was no convincing evidence that rs2248359 (CYP24A1) and rs703842 (CYP27B1) were
associated with MS risk, some clinical features (age at onset, MS type, EDSS
score and MSSS) or DSL within the Moroccan population. These findings require
further confirmation from large independent studies.
Article
by Asmae Skalli, et al, from Morocco.
Full
access: http://mrw.so/2eewrb
Image
by AKZOphoto, from Flickr-cc.
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