Lack of association between monocyte protein-1 (MCP-1) -2518 A>G chemoattractant and C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) Val64Ile polymorphisms and multiple sclerosis in a Tunisian population.

Chemokines and their receptors are known to mediate inflammation and tissue damage in autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, characterized by myelin damage and neurological complications. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) interacts with the C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) and plays a role in the migration of leukocytes into the central nervous system, thus contributing to the T cell-mediated pathogenesis of MS. Genomic DNA obtained from 58 MS patients and 72 healthy controls was tested for the MCP-1 -2518 A>G and CCR2 Val64Ile polymorphisms using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Neither the MCP-1 -2518G (p=0.43) nor the CCR2 64Ile (p=0.52) variant contributed to the risk of MS in Tunisians.