summary: Genes contribute to the risk of developing MS. Most genes associated with this disease are mainly related to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA), a vast family of proteins involved in the immune response. The authors studied the whole genome in a very large population and found that known HLA genes and non-HLA genes were associated with a higher risk of developing MS. Moreover, some of these genes were also associated with a higher risk of developing other autoimmune diseases, which could help explain the pathogenesis of MS and other diseases.

authors: Hoppenbrouwers IA, Aulchenko YS, Janssens AC, Ramagopalan SV, Broer L, Kayser M, Ebers GC, Oostra BA, van Duijn CM, Hintzen RQ

source: J Hum Genet. 2009 Oct 16

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