Arch Neurol. 2012 Jul 2:1-7. doi: 10.1001/archneurol.2012.1300
Aquaporin 4-specific T cells in neuromyelitis optica exhibit a Th17 bias and recognize Clostridium ABC transporter. Varrin-Doyer M, Spencer CM, Schulze-Topphoff U, Nelson PA, Stroud RM, C Cree BA, Zamvil SS.
INTRODUCTION: The existence of antibodies to aquaporin-4 (AQP-4-ab) has identified neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS) as different diseases. Although HLA-DRB1 alleles contribute to MS risk, recent studies suggest that HLA back-ground differs between patients with NMO or MS in non-Caucasians populations
OBJECTIVES: To analyze the role of HLA-DRB1 and -DPB1 alleles in the pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis in Southern Han Chinese. METHODS: Thirty serum anti-aquaporin 4 antibodies (AQP4-Ab)-positive NMO patients, 53 conventional multiple sclerosis (C-MS) patients, and 93 controls (CTLs) were enrolled. The HLA-DRB1 and -DPB1 alleles of the subjects were determined by sequencing-based typing (SBT)
Background: Despite similarities, neuromyelitis optica (NMO) can be distinguished from multiple sclerosis (MS) by clinical, radiological and serological findings.
Background: Association of the haplotype including DRB1*1501 with multiple sclerosis (MS) is well established. Recent studies have suggested lack of association of this haplotype with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) (Z?phir et al