Sex-Specific Gene-by-Vitamin D Interactions Regulate Susceptibility to Central Nervous System Autoimmunity.

ABSTRACT: Vitamin D3 (VitD) insufficiency is postulated to represent a major modifiable risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS). While low VitD levels strongly correlate with higher MS risk in white populations, this is not the case for other ethnic groups, suggesting the existence of a genetic component. Moreover, VitD supplementation studies in MS so far have not shown a consistent benefit. We sought to determine whether direct manipulation of VitD levels modulates central nervous system autoimmune disease in a sex-by-genotype-dependent manner. To this end, we used a dietary model of VitD modulation, together with the autoimmune animal model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). To assess the impact of genotype-by-VitD interactions on EAE susceptibility, we utilized a chromosome

SUBMITTER: Krementsov DN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6056725 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature