RANTES: a genetic risk marker for multiple sclerosis

• Published in: Multiple sclerosis Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 536 - 539
• Main Authors: Gade-Andavolu, Radhika, Comings, David E, MacMurray, James, Vuthoori, Ravi K, Tourtellotte, Wallace W, Nagra, Rashed M, Cone, Lawrence A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.10.2004; Arnold; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Chemokine CCL5 - genetics; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Genetic Markers; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - epidemiology; Genotype; Humans; Immunomodulators; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis - epidemiology; Multiple Sclerosis - genetics; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neurology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polymorphism, Genetic; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Risk Factors; cytokines; chemokines; RANTES; multiple sclerosis; central nervous system; Multiple sclerosis; Nervous system diseases; Genetic marker; Cytokine; Central nervous system; CC chemokine; Inflammatory disease; Central nervous system disease; Risk factor; Degenerative disease
• ISSN: 1352-4585; 1477-0970
• DOI: 10.1191/1352458504ms1080oa

Regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) is a beta-chemokine and has been detected in brain lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Considering its potential role in MS, we screened two functional polymorphisms in the proximal promoter region of the RANTES in MS patients versus controls. Methods: We examined 140 postmortem brain samples from subjects with a primary diagnosis of MS, and peripheral blood samples from 216 control subjects. The RANTES-28C/G and -403G/A promoter polymorphisms were examined. All subjects were non-Hispanic Caucasians. Results: MS cases differed from controls showing a significant association with the 403G/A polymorphism (odds ratio, 2.359, [1.465-3.799]; P-0.0001), but not the -28C/G (P-NS) polymorphism. There was a significant association of the -28G allele with both early onset (P-0.031) and longer survival (P-0.006). Conclusion: There is a significant but complex association of the RANTES gene with MS.