Scientists uncover how a common virus may lead to multiple sclerosis
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A team of researchers has found conclusive evidence for how the Epstein-Barr virus can trigger multiple sclerosis (MS).
This is according to a press release by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published on Wednesday.
The new research indicated that people may suffer the consequences of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) without even knowing it, as it infects most people early in life and then remains in the body, usually without causing symptoms.
More and more research, including two papers published in Science and Nature last year, suggests that EBV infection precedes MS and that antibodies against the virus may be involved.
“MS is an incredibly complex disease, but our study provides an important piece in the puzzle and could explain why some people develop the disease,” said Olivia Thomas, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and shared first author of the paper.
“We have discovered that certain antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus, which would normally fight the infection, can mistakenly target the brain and spinal cord and cause damage.”
The new study took into account blood samples from more than 700 patients with MS and 700 healthy individuals.
Antibodies malfunctioning
The researchers found a malfunction in the antibodies that bind to a certain protein in the Epstein-Barr virus called EBNA1. EBNA1 was discovered to also bind to a similar protein in the brain and spinal cord called CRYAB, whose role is to prevent protein aggregation during conditions of cellular stress such as inflammation. These misdirected antibodies may damage the nervous system and cause severe symptoms in MS patients.
“This shows that, whilst these antibody responses are not required for disease development, they may be involved in disease in up to a quarter of MS patients,” says Olivia Thomas.
“This also demonstrates the high variation between patients, highlighting the need for personalized therapies. Current therapies are effective at reducing relapses in MS but unfortunately, none can prevent disease progression.”
And that’s not all. The body’s T cells may also exhibit a similar cross-reactivity of the immune system.
“We are now expanding our research to investigate how T cells fight EBV infection and how these immune cells may damage the nervous system in multiple sclerosis and contribute to disease progression,” concluded in the statement Mattias Bronge, affiliated researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and shared first author of the paper.
The study was published in the journal Science Advances.
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