Folding Forum

Is there any direct or indirect evidence, or indeed any suspicion, that protein folding or mis-folding may somehow play a part in the development or progression of any of the various types of Multiple Sclerosis?

Thanks. Any information will be much appreciated.

Isn't MS an auto-immune disease that attacks the nerves?

That seems to be the case, but no-one knows why it starts and what triggers it.

Nor can progress be forecast - two sufferers with identical symptoms and having had the condition for the same length of time (in as much as a "start" can ever be identified) will have completely different progressions.

I've never heard of protein folding being implicated, but then I'm not medically trained (although involved as a volunteer with the UK's Multiple Sclerosis Society as my late wife had it) but then again I'd never heard of protein folding until I looked for a medical research project to help.

I couldn't find one dedicated to MS (although I did hear that Oxford University once ran one) so F@H seemed the next best thing. But if it might help MS then I'd feel even more content.

Or smug!

Protein's Role In Multiple Sclerosis Clarified
ScienceDaily (June 14, 2007) — A protein found primarily in the lens of the eye could be the critical "tipping point" in the spiral of inflammation and damage that occurs in multiple sclerosis, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine report.
see http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 131918.htm Google is your friend!

I posed a question to Vijay recently when someone asked about another ailment (ALS) as relating to protien folding. He said that even if F@h isn't doing any direct studies on that particular disease that a lot of the knowlege gained from bettering their abilities to simulate proteins folding more accurately applies to a wider more general use of that information.

One of my take-ways from the answers was that FAH studies are published openly, and it is very possible that something FAH finds studying Alzheimer's (or the others) could also apply to a similar process in another disease FAH isn't currently studying. So even if FAH isn't working on ALS (or MS) directly, our contributions can help improve and raise the base scientific knowledge of protein processes, which in turn helps other scientists that do work directly on ALS, but who themselves don't have an @Home project.

In short, if there isn't an @Home project for MS, F@h is a very good 2nd choice.

The NALP1 protein has been associated with certain autoimmune diseases. It might also have something to do with MS.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18946481
Variants in the gene encoding NACHT leucine-rich-repeat protein 1 (NALP1), an important molecule in innate immunity, have recently been shown to confer risk for vitiligo and associated autoimmunity. We hypothesized that sequence variants in this gene may be involved in susceptibility to a wider spectrum of autoimmune diseases. Investigating large patient cohorts from six different autoimmune diseases, that is autoimmune Addison's disease (n=333), type 1 diabetes (n=1086), multiple sclerosis (n=502), rheumatoid arthritis (n=945), systemic lupus erythematosus (n=156) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (n=505), against 3273 healthy controls, we analyzed four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NALP1. The major allele of the coding SNP rs12150220 revealed significant association with autoimmune Addison's disease compared with controls (OR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.06-1.49, P=0.007), and with type 1 diabetes (OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.04-1.27, P=0.005). Trends toward the same associations were seen in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and, although less obvious, multiple sclerosis. Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis did not show association with NALP1 gene variants. The results indicate that NALP1 and the innate immune system may be implicated in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune disorders, particularly organ-specific autoimmune diseases.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/356/12/1216.pdf

Thanks to all who have answered.

My medical knowledge stops shorty after how to swallow an aspirin, but I shall read those various articles and try and make some sort of layman's sense of them.

My wife had relapsing-remitting MS and it was an indirect, yet major, contributory factor in her death at just turned 60. I'm still involved with the local (Stockport) branch of the UK's MS Society so it's always useful to keep up with developments - feel free to Google us!

They say that you are never too old to learn - I just hope that I don't prove them wrong!