Source: Multiple Sclerosis News Today
A variation in the NLRP1 gene is associated with multiple sclerosis that runs in families, Slovenian researchers report.
Their study, “Identification of rare genetic variation of NLRP1 gene in familial multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Scientific Reports. The research was led by Dr. Borut Peterlin of Ljubljana University Medical Center’s Clinical Institute of Medical Genetics.
Scientists believe MS arises from a combination of a person’s genetic background and the environment. Although previous studies have suggested that genes are behind MS that runs in families, researchers had yet to confirm that hypothesis.
The Slovenian team wanted to identify any genes that were at play in both the MS and malignant melanoma that two siblings had. Although disease surveys indicate the two conditions can occur together, scientists had been unable to identify a shared cause for the two conditions. Read on.