Association of HLA and multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Although the cause of MS is still unknown, it is considered an autoimmune disease based on the composition of inflammatory infiltrates in the brain and on parallels with a T-cell-mediated animal model of demyelinating diseases called experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Similar to other autoimmune diseases, the immunogenetic background, in particular the MHC/HLA type, contributes to susceptibility. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the association between HLA background and MS as well as immunological findings in EAE and MS. Finally, an attempt is made to explain how structural interactions between disease-associated HLA type and binding of an autoantigenic peptide could relate to disease.