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EVI5 is a risk gene for multiple sclerosis

Genes & Immunity volume 9, pages 334–337 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

HLA-DRB1 is the major locus associated with risk for multiple sclerosis (MS). A recent genome-wide study showed three additional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), within the IL2RA and IL7RA genes respectively, also to be associated with MS. Consistent association but lower significance was found for 13 other SNPs. In this study, we aimed to verify association of these SNPs with MS in 46 MS patients and 194 controls from a Dutch genetically isolated population. Apart from the human leukocyte antigen locus, the EVI5 gene on chromosome 1 was confirmed as a novel risk gene, with odds ratios (ORs) even higher than those from the MS Consortium (ORs 2.01 and 1.9; P=0.01). The risk effect of EVI5 was further validated for the general MS population in an independent set of 1318 MS patients from the Canadian Collaborative Project on the Genetic Susceptibility to MS. On the basis of the transmission disequilibrium testing, a weak but significant risk effect was observed (OR 1.15; P=0.03 and OR 1.15; P=0.04). This study confirms EVI5 as another risk locus for MS; however, much of the genetic basis of MS remains unidentified.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from MS Research Netherlands (RQH and CvD), the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific research (ZON-MW, RQH), Erasmus MC and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of the United Kingdom (GCE). The GRIP study is supported by Centre for Medical Systems Biology (CMSB). We are grateful to all patients and their relatives, general practitioners and neurologists for their contributions and to P Veraart for her help in genealogy and E Croes (MD, PhD) for help in data collection. IH and YA contributed equally to this study. There were no sources of funding that have supported the paper. The study sponsors had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, writing of the report or decision to submit the paper for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, MS Centre ErasMS, Rotterdam, Erasmus MC, The Netherlands

    I A Hoppenbrouwers & R Q Hintzen

  2. Departments of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Rotterdam, Erasmus MC, The Netherlands

    Y S Aulchenko & C M van Duijn

  3. Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics and Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    G C Ebers & S V Ramagopalan

  4. Clinical Genetics, Rotterdam, Erasmus MC, The Netherlands

    B A Oostra

Authors
  1. I A Hoppenbrouwers
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  2. Y S Aulchenko
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  3. G C Ebers
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  4. S V Ramagopalan
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  5. B A Oostra
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  6. C M van Duijn
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  7. R Q Hintzen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R Q Hintzen.

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All authors did not have a conflict of interest.

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Hoppenbrouwers, I., Aulchenko, Y., Ebers, G. et al. EVI5 is a risk gene for multiple sclerosis. Genes Immun 9, 334–337 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/gene.2008.22

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