Investigation of cd24 and its expression in iranian relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

CD24 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked cell surface glycoprotein expressed in central nervous system cells. Recent investigations have suggested that CD24 participates in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, a limited number of studies have been published regarding the contribution of CD24 to the risk and severity of MS in humans. We investigated the contribution of a CD24 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) to MS disease risk and severity. We also studied mRNA expression of the CD24 gene in Iranian MS patients using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Our findings showed that the CD24 v/v genotype was significantly more frequent in MS patients compared with controls (p c = .004). Moreover, a statistically significant difference in the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) was found between MS patients carrying CD24 a/a and CD24 v/v genotypes (p = .008). The results also indicated that the expression of CD24 mRNA was 1.7 times more in MS patients compared with controls. In conclusion, our results suggest that the CD24 v/v genotype influences both MS disease risk and severity in Iranian MS patients, and the high disease severity in CD24 v/v patients may indicate that they require more aggressive treatment than do patients carrying CD24 a/a. © 2011 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc

Pharmacogenetic Study on the Effect of Rivastigmine on PS2 and APOE Genes in Iranian Alzheimer Patients

Background/Aims: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a complex and genetically heterogeneous disorder, and certain genes such as PS2 and APOE4 contribute to the development of AD. Due to its heterogeneity, AD-predisposing genes could vary in different populations. Moreover, not all AD patients will respond to the same therapy. We specifically investigated the effect ofrivastigmine (Exelon) on PS2 and APOE genes in Iranian AD patients. Methods: A total of 100 AD patients, 67 patients with sporadic AD (SAD) and 33 patients with familial AD (FAD), receiving rivastigmine therapy and 100 healthy controls were studied.PCR-RFLP was used for genotyping of PS2 and APOE. Results: We found a positive association between the PS2 –A allele and SAD patients (pc = 0.01), and the PS2 +A/–A genotype was significantly more frequent in SAD than FAD patients (pc = 0.009). The APOE4 allele was associated with total AD, SAD and FAD (pc = 0.000002). Patients with the PS2 +A/–A genotype and bigenic genotypes of +A/–A·Ε3/Ε3 and +A/–A·Ε3/Ε4 were the best responders to Exelon therapy, and those with the PS2 +A/+A and APOE Ε3/Ε4 genotypes were the worst responders. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the PS2 and APOE4 alleles and genotypes affect both AD risk and response to rivastigmine therapy