Investigation of RORA Gene Expression in Iranian Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most important autoimmune diseases targeting central nervous system (OMIM: 126200). It is known to be the second factor of movement disability in the world which is increasing in recent years. It is essential to perform fundamental and functional studies on its prevention and treatment. Although the major causes of MS incidence are still unclear, CD4 (+) myelin-specific T cells play central role in generation and inflammation balance. Accordingly, activated CD4 (+) T cells in peripheral, penetrate into the CNS and trigger the inflammation cascade by inducing secretion of cytokine and chemokine. Among Th17 cells, one of CD4 (+) T cell lines is recently shown to be mainly involved in MS incidence. The role of RORA gene in the developmental pathways Th17 cells, and regarding evidence suggesting RORA receptors as potential treatment targets respecting inflammation disorders such as MS. Study on this gene would help us to discover the molecular causes of MS. We selected 30 individuals affected with MS and 30 healthy normal controls matched in gender and age. After filling a questionnaire, peripheral blood was obtained and total RNA was extracted by GeneAll kit. Then, cDNA was synthesized using GeneAll cDNA synthetize kit. Expression of RORA gene was investigated using TaqMan Real-Time PCR. Results were analyzed using Linreg and Rest 2009 software. Expression of RORA gene was not significantly reduced compared to controls (P=0. 197). Moreover, expression of RORA gene was not significantly different between genders (P=0. 142, P=0. 156). There was no significant difference in RORA gene expression between cases and control group. Expression level of RORA gene may have not important effect on the disease.