Discordance of the T-cell receptor alpha-chain gene in familial multiple sclerosis

We studied restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the T-cell receptor alpha-chain (TCR alpha) gene in DNA obtained from 99 individuals of 14 multiplex families with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thirty-four family members had definite MS and two had probable MS. Six normal family members had abnormal cranial MRIs. Linkage analysis utilized constructed haplotypes of EcoRV, Sst I, and Taq I polymorphisms. With penetrance values from 0.1 to 0.7, and scoring the normal individuals with abnormal MRIs as either unknown or affected, LOD scores were between -3.16 and -7.95 for the autosomal dominant model. For the autosomal recessive model with a penetrance range from 0.1 to 1, the LOD scores ranged from -6.77 to -23.08. These findings do not support a direct role of TCR alpha in the inheritance of MS.