IL7 receptor polymorphisms and Multiple sclerosis in Western Provinces of Iran

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder. The etiology of MS is not clear but genetic and epigenetic factors are involved in MS development. Studies have shown that IL7R gene polymorphisms is capable of changing MS susceptibility. We investigated the association of MS with rs11567658, rs11567686 promoter polymorphisms of IL7R gene in western provinces of Iran. In the present study, 187 MS patients and 190 healthy control were evaluated. Polymorphic regions of IL7R promoter were amplified by appropriated primers and polymorphisms were then evaluated by RFLP method followed by validation via Sanger sequencing. Results shown rs11567685 and rs11567686 are significantly associationed with MS (P = 0.017 P = 0.046), significant association of these polymorphism with age was also found (P = 0.002). This study showed that IL7 receptor gene polymorphism has a key role in MS development and may be important opportunity for development of therapeutic and diagnostic strategies in context of personalized medicine.