Multiple Sclerosis-associated Retrovirus Research Articles

Detection of virion-associated MSRV-RNA in serum of patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis associated retrovirus (MSRV) is a recently identified 1 Perron H Garson JA Bedin F et al. Molecular identification of a novel retrovirus repeatedly isolated from patients with multiple sclerosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1997; 94: 7583-7588 Crossref PubMed Scopus (429) Google Scholar human retrovirus that has repeatedly been isolated from leptomeningeal and lymphoblastoid cultures derived from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Partial molecular characterisation of MSRV has revealed that it is distantly related (about 75% homology) to the endogenous retroviral sequence ERV9 but at present it is unclear whether MSRV itself is endogenous or exogenous. 1 Perron H Garson JA Bedin F et al. Molecular identification of a novel retrovirus repeatedly isolated from patients with multiple sclerosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1997; 94: 7583-7588 Crossref PubMed Scopus (429) Google Scholar DEPARTMENT OF ERRORAnalysis of the α-synuclein G209A mutation in familial Parkinson's disease—In this Research Letter by Sepideh Zareparsi and colleagues(Jan 3, p 37), the second author's name should read Jeffrey Kaye. Full-Text PDF DEPARTMENT OF ERRORMaintaining abstinence from alcohol with γ-hydroxybutyric acid (Jan 3, p 38)—In this letter by G Addolorato and colleagues, the third author's name should be Capristo, not Caprista. Full-Text PDF

Molecular identification of a novel retrovirus repeatedly isolated from patients with multiple sclerosis. The Collaborative Research Group on Multiple Sclerosis.

The partial molecular characterization of multiple sclerosis (MS)-associated retrovirus (MSRV), a novel retrovirus previously called LM7, is reported. MSRV has been isolated repeatedly from leptomeningeal, choroid plexus and from Epstein-Barr virus-immortalized B cells of MS patients. A strategy based on reverse transcriptase PCR with RNA-purified extracellular virions yielded an initial pol fragment from which other regions of the retroviral genome were subsequently obtained by sequence extension. MSRV-specific PCR primers amplified a pol region from RNA present at the peak of reverse transcriptase activity, coinciding with extracellular viral particles in sucrose density gradients. The same sequence was detected in noncellular RNA from MS patient plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid from untreated MS patients. MSRV is related to, but distinct from, the endogenous retroviral sequence ERV9. Whether MSRV represents an exogenous retrovirus with closely related endogenous elements or a replication-competent, virion-producing, endogenous provirus is as yet unknown. Further molecular epidemiological studies are required to determine precisely the apparent association of virions containing MSRV RNA with MS.