Lack of evidence for an association between two genetic polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 gene and multiple sclerosis in Ashkenazi Jews.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multifactorial disease with a documented genetic component. Recent experimental models suggested a role for the tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) in the pathogenesis of the disease. We compared the frequency of two polymorphisms from TNFR1, located in exon 1 and intron 6, in 94 Jewish Ashkenazi MS patients and 83 healthy Ashkenazi controls. No significant differences were observed for both polymorphisms between the patients and the controls. These findings suggest that genetic variants in TNFR1 do not play a significant role in Ashkenazi Jews. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel