CX3CR1 AS A MARKER WHICH CORRELATES WITH BOTH DISEASE AND DISEASE ACTIVITY IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS

摘要

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by an enormous variability in its clinical presentation and course, in which clear diagnostic parameters are lacking. Here, the inventors performed an RNA screen, which indicated a role for the chemokine receptor CX₃CRl as diagnostic marker. Gene expression and flow cytometric analyses demonstrated a significantly lower expression of CX₃CRl in MS patients compared to healthy individuals. Importantly, the inventors also found a correlation between disease activity and frequency of CX₃CRl⁺ NK cells. These findings emphasise the involvement of NK cells in the development and course of MS and provide evidence for CX₃CRl expression to be a marker for MS patients and disease activity.