Finnish researchers have linked a gene with multiple sclerosis. The
gene, on chromosome 18, encodes a protein called MBP which forms part of
the myelin sheath surrounding nerves. Multiple sclerosis causes progressive
damage to the nervous system and the breakdown of myelin. 51¶¯Âþs have
long suspected that MBP might be implicated in MS.
The Finnish team studied 21 families with a history of MS, as well as
other MS patients and healthy controls. They found that a particular variant
of the MBP gene was significantly more common in the MS patients than in
the controls. The team concludes that the variant gene plays a role in MS.
