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. 2008 Aug 6;3(8):e2891.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002891.

Investigation of the role of mitochondrial DNA in multiple sclerosis susceptibility

Maria Ban  1 , Joanna Elson, Amie Walton, Douglas Turnbull, Alastair Compston, Patrick Chinnery, Stephen Sawcer
Affiliations

Investigation of the role of mitochondrial DNA in multiple sclerosis susceptibility

Maria Ban et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Several lines of evidence suggest that mitochondrial genetic factors may influence susceptibility to multiple sclerosis. To explore this hypothesis further, we re-sequenced the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) from 159 patients with multiple sclerosis and completed a haplogroup analysis including a further 835 patients and 1,506 controls. A trend towards over-representation of super-haplogroup U was the only evidence for association with mtDNA that we identified in these samples. In a parallel analysis of nuclear encoded mitochondrial genes, we also found a trend towards association with the complex I gene, NDUFS2. These results add to the evidence suggesting that variation in mtDNA and nuclear encoded mitochondrial genes may contribute to disease susceptibility in multiple sclerosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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