Evidence from genome wide association studies implicates reduced control of Epstein-Barr virus infection in multiple sclerosis susceptibility.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Genome wide association studies have identified > 200 susceptibility loci accounting for much of the heritability of multiple sclerosis (MS). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a memory B cell tropic virus, has been identified as necessary but not sufficient for development of MS. The molecular and immunological basis for this has not been established. Infected B cell proliferation is driven by signalling through the EBV produced cell surface protein LMP1, a homologue of the MS risk gene CD40.

Methods

We have investigated transcriptomes of B cells and EBV-infected B cells at Latency III (LCLs) and identified MS risk genes with altered expression on infection and with expression levels associated with the MS risk genotype (LCLeQTLs). The association of LCLeQTL genomic burde

SUBMITTER: Afrasiabi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6492329 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature