Title |
Endogenous retroviruses and multiple sclerosis–new pieces to the puzzle
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Published in |
BMC Neurology, August 2013
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DOI | 10.1186/1471-2377-13-111 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Kari K Nissen, Magdalena J Laska, Bettina Hansen, Thorkild Terkelsen, Palle Villesen, Shervin Bahrami, Thor Petersen, Finn S Pedersen, Bjørn A Nexø |
Abstract |
The possibility that retroviruses play a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been considered; accumulating findings suggest this to be most likely in the form of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). A genetic test series of fifty endogenous retroviral loci for association with MS in Danes showed SNP markers near a specific endogenous retroviral locus, HERV-Fc1 located on the X-chromosome, to be positive. Bout Onset MS was associated with the HERV-Fc1 locus, while a rarer form, Primary Progressive MS, was not. Moreover, HERV-Fc1 Gag RNA in plasma was increased 4-fold in patients with recent history of attacks, relative to patients in a stable state and to healthy controls.Finally, genetic variations in restriction genes for retroviruses influence the risk of MS, providing further support for a role of retroviral elements in disease.We speculate that endogenous retroviruses may activate the innate immune system in a variety of ways, involving the host proteins, TRIMs, TLRs, TREXs and STING. Observations in HIV-positive patients suggest that antiretroviral drugs can curb MS. Thus, these new findings regarding the etiology and pathogenesis of MS, suggest alternative ways to challenge autoimmune diseases. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 3 | 38% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 25% |
Egypt | 1 | 13% |
Australia | 1 | 13% |
Unknown | 1 | 13% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 4 | 50% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 25% |
Scientists | 1 | 13% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 13% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Portugal | 1 | 1% |
Brazil | 1 | 1% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 1% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of | 1 | 1% |
Denmark | 1 | 1% |
Spain | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 74 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 18 | 23% |
Student > Bachelor | 14 | 18% |
Researcher | 11 | 14% |
Student > Master | 9 | 11% |
Other | 4 | 5% |
Other | 14 | 18% |
Unknown | 10 | 13% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 22 | 28% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 16 | 20% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 10 | 13% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 7 | 9% |
Neuroscience | 6 | 8% |
Other | 6 | 8% |
Unknown | 13 | 16% |