The condition of people with advanced multiple sclerosis worsens due to the decreased activity of the ATG7 gene. The results of the research of biologists were published in the scientific journal Science Immunology.
As the associate professor of the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and one of the authors of the study, Maya Yagodich, said, the ATG7 gene makes the auxiliary cells of the nervous system destroy the damaged membranes of neurons.
“Despite the great progress in the study and treatment of multiple sclerosis, approximately 10-20 years after the onset of the disease, the condition of patients usually worsens. So far, there is only one medicine that helps people at this stage. We knew almost nothing about the biological processes due to which her symptoms are aggravated, ”the scientist explained.
Yagodich and her colleagues studied the development of progressive multiple sclerosis in mice. It turned out that the acquisition and the rate of its development of the disease depended on the level of activity of the ATG7 gene. This gene is associated with autophagy, the process of uptake and recycling of damaged proteins and other cellular components under stress or lack of food. Due to the decrease in ATG7 activity, the mice developed chronic inflammation, which affects the aggravation of the symptoms of sclerosis.
The researchers concluded that normal functioning can be restored with trehalose, a sugary substance found in the cells of fungi and algae. Half of the rodents had no symptoms of multiple sclerosis a few weeks after the start of the trehalose experiment.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the nervous system. The progressive form can lead to paralysis, blindness, and death. According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), about 2.3 million people worldwide suffer from multiple sclerosis. There are currently no medications that could completely cure patients.
