I received a recent article from my Nat’l MS Society chapter about the discovery of a defective gene that might be linked to multiple sclerosis. Of course I sat up and paid attention! Scientists worldwide have been trying for years to establish a definite genetic link that may run in families and increase family members’ risks for developing the disease. There are plenty of clans who have several members living with MS, and they can trace back generations of people who also had it. So finding a link can be the beginning of targeting a defective gene and possibly creating medications to protect fragile genes in MSers or establishing vaccines to prevent the disease…… Well, let’s just say science is off to a good start:
A study in Europe found that specific genes within long neurons (metre- or yard- long) that transport signals between the brain and spinal cord are actually defective in a group of relatives living in The Netherlands. The type of gene, known as KIF1B, has the job of “powering” signals within these long neurons, thereby sending important information between the brain and the spinal cord.
A second study examined this gene among a larger group of northern Europeans and learned that there is a slightly higher incidence of MS in people who exhibit this mutation.
At this point it is not clear whether the defective gene causes MS attacks (due to the immune system viewing the mutations as foreign matter?), or the genes leave the neurons especially vulnerable for MS attacks in those who already have multiple sclerosis (due to the length and fragility of such neurons), causing more damage to these neurons compared to those of MSers whose KIF1B genes are not defective. In the meantime, this discovery leads scientists to more genetic testing which includes studying MSers with the mutation versus those without. Such further research could help to establish how the defective nerve tissue deals with an MS attack, thereby posing a possible link between the gene mutation and degenerative MS compared to standard KIF1B genes and less progressive MS.
*For more information about this breakthrough research, see the news article provided by The National MS Society: New Jersey Metro Chapter.
