In a recent study, scientists were able to identify three specific genes, as well as their protein expressions, that could be involved in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis.
SciTechDaily reports how they did so through comparing genetic and protein information from the brains of over thousands of individuals who had and did not have multiple sclerosis. In doing so, the researchers found different levels of expression of the FAM1208B, SHMT1, and 1CA1L genes (as well as their proteins) in the brain tissues of those with multiple sclerosis in comparison to the control group.
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Three Genes Observed To Have Varying Levels of Expression in Brain Tissues of Those With Multiple Sclerosis
The research was included in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology last December 7.
Objectives of the study included the identification of genes that confer the risk of multiple sclerosis through changing of protein levels that are cis-regulated and the verification of their divergent expressions within the brain.
After performing their analysis, they discovered how the genes FAM120B, SHMT1, and ICA1L could confer with the risk of developing multiple sclerosis.
The authors note how digging deeper into such gene functions may lead to the uncovering of new insights regarding the mechanisms that are involved in multiple sclerosis' development and progress over time. Their findings specifically bring new insight regarding multiple sclerosis pathogenesis. It also suggests potential targets for further research focused on multiple sclerosis therapy.
Multiple Sclerosis
According to Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis is a disease that involves one's brain and spinal cord or central nervous system (CNS). It has the capacity to be disabling.
Among those with multiple sclerosis, their immune system charges the myelin, a sheath that is protective and coats nerve fibers. This leads to communication issues between the brain and the entire body. As it progresses, the disease may lead to permanent deterioration or damage to the nerve fibers.
The symptoms and signs of multiple sclerosis differ across patients and largely depend on the severity and placement of nerve fiber damage within the CNS. There are some individuals who have a severe case of multiple sclerosis that could lose the capacity to walk on their own. Others, on the other hand, may go through lengthened remission durations without any symptoms added, though this depends on the specific multiple sclerosis type that they are dealing with.
According to Healthline, around 2.5 million individuals deal with multiple sclerosis on a global scale. In the United States alone, around 200 new cases get diagnosed on a weekly basis.
Multiple sclerosis currently does not have any cure. Nevertheless, there are treatments that can boost recovery and relief from such attacks, modify how the disease will go on, and regulate the symptoms faced.
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