Why is the "MS Gene" so Common?

[@NikaAlm]

I am a researcher myself, the way you describe papers and scientific facts is fascinating! Thanks for your time and effort.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

Thanks. This paper is a little bit out of the realm of my expertise, but hopefully it is not too inaccurate.

[@lemonpeelangelfish]

This is absolutely fascinating- thank you Dr Beaber! I read an article in the New Scientist about this study - so interesting. Really appreciate you going through it!

[@EvenSoItIsWell]

Thanks Dr. Beaber. Any information we can collect to give us clues about MS and its causes are great! One thing you said struck me. The diet and sunlight may have a factor. Do you know if there are any studies on people diagnosed with MS that look at those two factors and the course of MS? It would be interesting to see if these two factors together could affect the outcome.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

Vickie: The multiple sclerosis-associated MHC class II allele HLA-DRB1*1501 is regulated by vitamin D according to this study which got a ton of press back in the day: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19197344/ I am not sure about an environment gene interaction with respects to diet.

[@EvenSoItIsWell]

@@DrBrandonBeaber thanks!

[@debraindxb]

As always, a great explanation of complex concepts and charts! Much appreciated.

[@SuperTalBar23]

Wow, great stuff! captivated from start to finish! Thank you

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

:) I'm glad it interested you. I enjoy making videos like this even if they aren't necessarily actionable.

[@AQtoo]

Thank you for your effort, being close to patients is so essential, understanding the disease is a part of the cure.

[@lucianademelo6557]

Thank you for the information. Very interesting

[@scmassa]

Absolutely fascinating. The plot thickens!

[@acs5928]

Very interesting information. Thank you.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

Interesting indeed

[@ernietollar407]

Nothing short of awe inspiring! Just wow!

[@ChallusMercer]

Thank you for good explanation! Do you think MS and maybe other autoimmune diseases can be prevented/cured by gene editing in the future?

[@SuperTalBar23]

Casgevy, a cell-based gene therapy, is approved for the treatment of sickle cell disease in patients 12 years of age and older with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises. Casgevy is the first FDA-approved therapy utilizing CRISPR/Cas9, a type of genome editing technology. Looks like it was done not long ago for sickle cell, crossing fingers sometime will be relevant for MS

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

Probably not because MS is not exactly a genetic disease, and there are literally hundreds of genes linked to MS. Diseases such as huntington's disease and sickle cell anemia are are more suitable target for gene therapy in general.

[@ahmeterwinog6295]

Dr. B How common is MS in Turkey and Lebanon? I am a Latino of partial Turkish and Lebanese descent with RRMS.

[@donnabolt5847]

Thank you!! Love anything educational 😁

[@mgrogan4126]

Could you comment on an item I just came across from Medical News Today that a wheat-free diet reduces inflammation and has a positive impact on MS symptoms? Is it too early to recommend a wheat-free diet?

[@karindella]

Years ago, my neuro told me Scandinavian descent could be a risk factor. My mom was Norwegian and Swedish.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

MS is certainly prevalent in those countries, though this may be due to low sunlight exposure rather than genetics.

[@alyassery11]

So there isn’t something like a faulty gene or a bad gene that can be cut off using something like CRISPR to treat autoimmune diseases like MS.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

The problem is there are many genes which are only weakly associated with risk of MS.

[@alyassery11]

@@DrBrandonBeaber yes , you are right but do you think as an expert that there might be a single specific gene that is still not yet found which maybe the gene responsible for MS for an example?

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

@@alyassery11 No. The entire genome of many people with MS has been sequenced and compared to the general population.

[@alyassery11]

@@DrBrandonBeaber I appreciate your clarification. We need more doctors like you.

[@lararose9106]

Dr. Beaber i have MS snce 2 years and im a COVID long hauler. My dizziness cant be assessed by any neuro or ent and im bedridden and in a wheelchair. I cant stand or sit up straight and they r saying its not from MS. I have extreme fatigue but i dnt want to take antivirals or antidepressants. Every1 is saying its anxiety and its not. My symptoms r real. Is amantidine the only solution? Its not normal to be dizzy 24 7

[@roberture5903]

Wow that was quite a bit of information to take in first thing in the morning Dr Brandon but it was very interesting to say the least. I have one family member besides myself who had ms and I wonder if we both had this same gene.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

HLA-DRB1*1501 is fairly common in the general population so there is a decent chance.

[@barbm1231]

Very interesting. Maybe the reason I never got sick or got any of the childhood illnesses.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

Possibly. I do have patients report to me that they get sick less often than their relatives/friends. However, observational studies don't suggest a significantly decreased risk of infections in people with MS.

[@__Wanderer]

Amazing - thank you for covering this!! This was an incredibly interesting article :) fascinating to learn a bit more about these genes. MS immune system far too aggressive perhaps, EBV triggers the epigenetic domino of increased aggressiveness perhaps. The fact EBV "lies dormant" in our CNS maybe means people with the MS gene have an immune system that is constantly trying to stamp out the EBV virus and attacking myelin in its confusion perhaps. I have also read that MS relapses can often occur after infections (my first occurred after COVID) perhaps showing the immune system is in "fight mode" / has higher amounts of white blood cells trashing the place. Generally I am very rarely sick.

[@lauracarlson9260]

Thanks! and this describes me exactly- I've had DNA tests both with Ancestry and 23 and Me and this is my genetics. Coincidentally my more recent ancestors were in the farming community so exposed to the same pathogens and I actually grew up on a farm with the same exposures and still have horses, chickens and cats on our little hobby farm but I know the genes were laid out centuries before. My husband has ulcerative colitis that he manages well with a very strict diet. He is of the thought that all ills in the world, and especially autoimmune issues, are caused by diet and the resulting microglia. Thanks for providing a video that provides another piece of the puzzle- the genetics that need to be in place in combination with many other factors that result in MS. We'll figure it out soon- and then what can we do with the information

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

I know this video isn't directly actionable, but sometimes data from different sources comes together and becomes useful years or decades later.

[@TotalRookie_LV]

To this day steppes have rodents, who carry plague, so it would make perfect sense for people from steppes to have a higher resistance to that.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

Possibly, though I'm not sure how prevalent plaque was during the relevant time period. there could be completely different infections which are not common today.

[@flonations1323]

So did i comprehend right, the mother could pass the gene more?

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

No. HLA genes are chromosomal and inherited from both parents. The mitochondrial genes (unrelated to MS) are used to generate population mapping (i.e. descent from the "steppe" people, neolithic farmers, etc)

[@flonations1323]

@@DrBrandonBeaber Thank you for taking the time to clear this up, I was just asking because my Mother had lupus and now I have just been diagnosed with MS.

[@AJ_411]

Diagnosed in 2008 and after genetics were found to link MS, I had my DNA genotyped. I have both copies of the HLA-DRB1 variant (along with several others recently identified), and when I read the article linking the gene to European ancestry near where my family originates, I had to laugh because of course...

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

Were you part of the UCSF study?

[@AJ_411]

@@DrBrandonBeaber I wasn't, but I've been following the research closely, and having my DNA genotyped has been both an eye-opener (I hit the MS lottery for double allele variants) and a game changer in regards to supplementation. We just submitted my son's DNA and are waiting to learn if he also carries HLA-DRB1*1501 so if found, he can implement preventive measures.

[@Lisa_P73]

I like hearing this stuff. There is more than one person in my family line that has (had) MS which I am one. My grandma on my Dad's side had it and died from MS complications when my Dad was young. I have a sneaky suspicion that I have a sister that may have it, but she won't get testing done. Anyway, I think there is a gene, not just environmental factors.

[@cherylnavarrete4198]

Wondering if they automatically tested me for this gene 14 years ago?

[@donaldsmolder7152]

Dr Bieber. You have been given a gift and knowledge. Reach out to me before it’s too late and help me. Thank you.

[@stonz42]

Very interesting - I have a genetic report from 23 and Me, as well as a genetic report for inherited retinal diseases because I inherited retinal drusen from my mother (thankfully these aren't related to macular drusen associated with age related macular degeneration). I was also tested for over 400 carrier genes when my wife and I went through IVF. Ironically, after all those tests I do not have any carrier genes for associated inherited conditions or retinal disease or other serious diseases from the 23 and Me reports. However, I'm uncertain if the HLA variants were part of the tests. It would be nice to know out of curiosity. My heritage traces back to Italy and nearby areas, so it's likely I have one or both variants.

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

I don't think HLA variants associated with MS were ever part of 23 and me reports.

[@stonz42]

@@DrBrandonBeaber You are correct. The only HLA variants I see were tested for association with Celiac disease (HLA-DQA1 & DQB1). I have a future video recommendation based on a recent article I read about KYV-101 from Kyverna Therapeutics. Can you post a video discussing Car T therapies and how they relate to current B-cell depleating therapies?

[@josephvered3991]

Hi from Israel interesting video thanks I hope that in the future they will find a cure to this disease

[@Jerusalem_Warrior]

Only 16% of Ashkenazic Jews... so why did Dad and I have to be among the lucky ones? 😩

[@fragariasec]

😢. The same here my and me.

[@SuperTalBar23]

Ashkenazic here also

[@stupud818]

😂Way over your head? Sheesh. we ppl got no chance then!

[@DrBrandonBeaber]

Haha. Hopefully this video made the article more accessible to the general public. No one can be an expert in everything.