Polymorphism analysis suggests that the gelatinase B gene is not a susceptibility factor for multiple sclerosis

The human gelatinase B (MMP-9) gene promoter region contains a CA microsate llite repeat and a single nucleotide polymorphism which are known to influe nce transcriptional activity. These two polymorphisms were used to investig ate the existence of an association between multiple sclerosis (MS) suscept ibility and the MMP-9 gene. In a case-control analysis of 345 Swedish indiv iduals and in a study of 125 Sardinian simplex families no genetic associat ions between the gelatinase B gene polymorphisms and MS susceptibility were found. These data reinforce the suggestion of epistasis in the regulation of the metalloproteinase-inhibitor balance in MS. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.