Linkage and association analysis in italian multiple sclerosis multiplex families

A large number of epidemiological data indicate a genetically determined component of the susceptibility to Multiple Sclerosis. Although many candidate genes have been studied, the 6p21 region, where HLA gene cluster, has been so far the genome region whose contribution to disease susceptibility has been better established. Nonetheless recent data generated by independent groups in four different populations, indicate that also other genes may influence the disease susceptibility interacting epistatically. In the present study candidate genomic regions have been chosen on the basis of these data in order to analyze linkage and association in 36 continental Italian and 26 Sardinian MS multiplex families. For this purpose 73 microsatellite polymorphisms mapping in the chosen candidate regions have been analyzed. Data processing is currently in progress by non parametric tests (Affected Sib Pairs Methods Kruglyak and Lander, Am.J.Hum. Gen 57: 439,1995) and by association tests (Transmission Disequilibrium Tests Spielman et al. Am. J. Hum.Gen 52:506,1993). The association as well as the linkage analysis data will be presented.