Abstract

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder described by central nervous system (CNS) demyelination and axonal damage. While the cause of MS is still unknown, it is extensively accepted that novel drug targets need to attention. Retromers are protein complex that have an essential role in endosomal trafficking, and retromer dysfunction has been associated to several neurological disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the expression of SNX2 gene as a part of retromer complex in MS patients with health individuals.

Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 50 samples of cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) and 50 healthy controls were enrolled. Followed verifying disease, 3cc peripheral blood was given from all subjects. Total RNA was extracted and complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized. The relative gene expression was determined using quantitative real-time RT PCR (qRT-PCR) and evaluated by  method.

Results: The expression of SNX2 gene was lower in MS patients compared with healthy controls and it was statistically significant (p< 0.05).

Conclusion: Our study showed that the expression of SNX2 is lower in multiple sclerosis disorder. Considering the functional role of SNX2 as a protein involved in trafficking process, SNX2 may affect receptor function or drug targeting. Therefore, supplementary studies should be done to elucidate the exact mechanism of action of the gene in cellular trafficking.