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A genome-wide screen for linkage in Nordic sib-pairs with multiple sclerosis

Genes & Immunity volume 3, pages 279–285 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Genetic factors influence susceptibility to multiple sclerosis but the responsible genes remain largely undefined, association with MHC class II alleles being the only established genetic feature of the disease. The Nordic countries have a high prevalence of multiple sclerosis, and to further explore the genetic background of the disease, we have carried out a genome-wide screen for linkage in 136 sibling-pairs with multiple sclerosis from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden by typing 399 microsatellite markers. Seventeen regions where the lod score exceeds the nominal 5% significance threshold (0.7) were identified—1q11–24, 2q24–32, 3p26.3, 3q21.1, 4q12, 6p25.3, 6p21–22, 6q21, 9q34.3, 10p15, 10p12–13, 11p15.5, 12q21.3, 16p13.3, 17q25.3, 22q12–13 and Xp22.3. Although none of these regions reaches the level of genome-wide significance, the number observed exceeds the 10 that would be expected by chance alone. Our results significantly add to the growing body of linkage data relating to multiple sclerosis.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to neurologists from the Nordic countries who identified the families involved in this study. We thank J Gray, B Smillie and M. Maranian for expert technical assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cambridge, Neurology unit, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK

    E Akesson, A Compston & S Sawcer

  2. Department of Neurology, Karolinska Institutet at Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    E Akesson, J Berg, S Fredrikson & J Hillert

  3. Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

    A Oturai & P S Sorensen

  4. Inst. Clinical Neuroscience, Sahlgrenska Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

    O Andersen

  5. Institute of Immunology, The National Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    H F Harbo & A Spurkland

  6. Turku Immunology Centre and Department of Virology, University of Turku, Finland

    M Laaksonen

  7. Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    K M Myhr & H I Nyland

  8. Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

    L P Ryder & A Svejgaard

  9. Department of Neurology, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden

    M Sandberg-Wollheim

  10. MRC Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Public Health, University Forvie Site, Cambridge, UK

    P Holmans

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  1. E Akesson
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  2. A Oturai
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  3. J Berg
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  7. M Laaksonen
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  14. A Svejgaard
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  15. P Holmans
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  16. A Compston
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  17. J Hillert
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  18. S Sawcer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E Akesson.

Additional information

This project has received financial support from the European Commission (project number CT97–2422), the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (grant 591/00), the Wellcome Trust (grant 057097), the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Danish Medical Research Council, the Swedish Medical Research Council (project numbers: 11023 and 11220), and the Swedish Association of Neurologically Disabled, Karolinska Institute.

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Akesson, E., Oturai, A., Berg, J. et al. A genome-wide screen for linkage in Nordic sib-pairs with multiple sclerosis. Genes Immun 3, 279–285 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6363866

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