Alternative splicing, a biological process that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins, is extensively disrupted in immune cells isolated from untreated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and long-term treatment with interferon beta-based therapies largely corrects the defects, a study found. “Alternative splicing is a potential biomarker warning…

More activity among certain immune cells, as well as differences in immune signaling molecules, iron regulation, and fat metabolism, may explain why multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses more over time in some people than in others, researchers report. These findings may help to better understand the molecular mechanisms leading to…

Reactivation of ancient viruses incorporated into the human genome in the course of evolution may be involved in the acute inflammatory response that is characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study says. The findings of the study, “Expression of endogenous retroviruses reflects increased usage of atypical enhancers in…

A newly discovered potential biomarker of multiple sclerosis (MS) may help to distinguish between people who will go on to have less severe disease and those in whom the disease will progress, researchers at Linköping University in Sweden report. The biomarker’s discovery came through an investigation into the immune system of MS…

A Spanish study showed that relapse and remission in multiple sclerosis (MS) states are regulated by small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) molecules in patterns differing between men and women. Scientists have increasingly realized that sncRNAs play an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Various kinds of these RNA molecules, such as…

In a new study entitled “Transcriptional response to interferon beta-1a treatment in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis,” a team of researchers discovered a subgroup of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients (SPMS) exhibiting the same gene expression response to interferon (IFN) treatment as patients with relapsing-remitting MS…

In a recent study entitled “MicroRNA expression profiling of human blood monocyte subsets highlights functional differences,” a team of researchers discovered a pool of 66 microRNAs that underlie differences in phenotype and function of a group of immune cells with key roles in multiple sclerosis. The study was published…