Changes in Immune Cell Gene Activity May Indicate Probability of Developing MS

Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) have high levels of immune cells called cytotoxic T cells, which normally help kill cancer and cells infected by germs. In MS, these cells accumulate in areas with visible myelin damage, but until recent study results, the role the cells play in the disease had remained unknown.

In a study published in the journal Science Immunology, researchers studied the T cells of 12 pairs of identical twins, one of whom had MS and the other did not. Specifically, they looked at genes that were switched on in the twins’ T cells by measuring RNA, a molecule that helps cells make proteins from DNA’s blueprints. This revealed that the T cells of people with either MS or central nervous system (CNS) inflammation were more active and triggered more immune signaling than those in people with neither condition. The researchers also found more activation in genes that help keep T cells switched on.

By categorizing the hyperactive genes by disease stage, the researchers showed that the genes involved in T cell activation were most prominent in people who had CNS inflammation, but not full-blown MS. People with MS had more gene activity tied to helping T cells survive, move around the body and call on other parts of the immune system to attack. Overall, the more advanced a person’s disease stage, the more T cells they had that showed these genetic changes, which lends weight to the hypothesis that these T cells drive inflammation in MS.

Being able to detect the earliest indicators of MS may help to make a diagnosis and initiate therapy before any significant neurologic damage can occur.