This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1352458509106780v1 15/10/1146    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by de Abreu, D. F. Articles by Feron PubMed Articles by de Abreu, D. F. Articles by Feron, Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Season of birth and not vitamin D receptor promoter polymorphisms is a risk factor for multiple sclerosis

Neurobiologie des Interactions Cellulaires et Neurophysiopathologie (NICN), CNRS UMR 6184, IFR Jean Roche, Faculté de Médecine Nord, Marseille, France

MC Babron I

INSERM, UMR-S535, Villejuif, France, Université Paris Sud, Villejuif, France

C. Rebeix

Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Fédération des maladies du système nerveux, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, INSERM, U975, Paris, France

J. Fontenille

Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Fédération des maladies du système nerveux, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, INSERM, U975, Paris, France

D. Yaouanq

Service d'Epidémiologie et Santé publique, CHU Pontchaillou, Rennes, France

B. Brassat

INSERM U563, Pôle des Neurosciences Université de Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France

F. Fontaine

Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Fédération des maladies du système nerveux, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, INSERM, U975, Paris, France

F. Clerget-Darpoux

INSERM, UMR-S535, Villejuif, France, Université Paris Sud, Villejuif, France

F. Jehan

INSERM U561, Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul, Paris, France

Feron

Neurobiologie des Interactions Cellulaires et Neurophysiopathologie (NICN), CNRS UMR 6184, IFR Jean Roche, Faculté de Médecine Nord, Marseille, France, francois.feron{at}univmed.fr

Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to multiple sclerosis, the most common neurodegenerative disorder with onset in young adults. The objective of the current study is, based on the hypothesis that environmentally predisposed individuals are at risk for multiple sclerosis, to investigate whether they also carry genetic variants within the vitamin D machinery. Using medical files and DNA samples from 583 trios (a patient and both parents) of the French Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Group as well as data from the French Statistics Bureau, we aimed to assess whether: (1) a seasonality of birth was observed in French multiple sclerosis patients; (2) three single nucleotide polymorphisms within the promoter region of the vitamin D receptor were associated with multiple sclerosis susceptibility; and (3) the combination of a high risk month of birth and vitamin D receptor polymorphisms were correlated to multiple sclerosis incidence. We observed a significantly reduced number of individuals born in November who were later diagnosed as multiple sclerosis patients. However, we found no association between the three studied vitamin D receptor polymorphisms and multiple sclerosis. In conclusion, our data suggest that high levels of vitamin D during the third trimester of pregnancy could be a protective factor for multiple sclerosis.

Key Words: multiple sclerosis • polymorphisms • season of birth • vitamin D receptor • human • association study %TIM

This version was published on October 1, 2009

Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 15, No. 10, 1146-1152 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1352458509106780


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?