Abstract
Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating neurodegenerative disease with a strong genetic component. Previous genetic risk studies have failed to identify consistently linked regions or genes outside of the major histocompatibility complex on chromosome 6p. We describe allelic association of a polymorphism in the gene encoding the interleukin 7 receptor α chain (IL7R) as a significant risk factor for multiple sclerosis in four independent family-based or case-control data sets (overall P = 2.9 × 10-7). Further, the likely causal SNP, rs6897932, located within the alternatively spliced exon 6 of IL7R, has a functional effect on gene expression. The SNP influences the amount of soluble and membrane-bound isoforms of the protein by putatively disrupting an exonic splicing silencer.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1083-1091 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Nature Genetics |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2007 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
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