Multiple Sclerosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Multiple Sclerosis, including details on diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, prognosis.

Soluble Nogo-A, an inhibitor of axonal regeneration, as a biomarker for multiple sclerosis.

Jurewicz A, Matysiak M, Raine CS, Selmaj K

Department of Neurology, Medical University of Lodz, 22, Kopcińskiego Street, 90-153 Lodz, Poland.

BACKGROUND: CNS axons display a poor regenerative response to injury. In multiple sclerosis (MS), failure of damaged axons to regenerate may be a major factor underlying non-reversible neurologic dysfunction. Nogo is a development-related molecule inhibiting axonal regeneration and is a major component of CNS myelin. METHODS: CSF from 114 patients with remitting relapsing MS (RR-MS) and secondary progressive MS (SP-MS) and 153 controls, as well as CNS tissue from 3 patients with MS and 2 controls, were used for this study. RESULTS: We found soluble 20 kDa Nogo-A product in 96% (110/114) of CSF samples from patients with MS compared with 0/18 from meningo-encephalomyelitis, 0/125 from control subjects with other neurologic diseases, and 0/10 from CNS autoimmune diseases. Nogo-A products were present both in RR-MS and SP-MS, as well as in early cases of the disease, but not in neuromyelitis optica. The same Nogo A product was detected in CNS tissue from all patients with MS but not in control CNS tissue. CONCLUSION: Soluble Nogo-A may be specific for the CSF of patients with multiple sclerosis and its presence may predict failure of axonal regeneration within the CNS.

Published 23 January 2007 in Neurology, 68(4): 283-7.
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