Review Article

Pharmacogenetic Biomarkers to Predict Treatment Response in Multiple Sclerosis: Current and Future Perspectives

Table 5

Selected genes with polymorphisms showing significant association with response to interferon β in patients with MS from genome-wide association studies.

Gene (polymorphic locus)Product function (if known)

GPC5 (rs10492503; rs9301789) [54]Glypicans are implicated in synapse formation and axon regeneration and guidance and are found in dense networks in active MS plaques, where they may be involved in sequestering proinflammatory chemokines

COL25A1 (rs794143) [54]Collagen type XXV α1, a brain-specific membrane-bound collagen

HPLN1 (rs4466137) [54]Hyaluronan proteoglycan link protein 1, an extracellular matrix protein

CAST (rs10510779) [54]Calpastatin, a calpain (calcium-dependent cysteine protease) inhibitor

NPAS3 (rs4128599) [54]Neuronal PAS domain protein 3, a member of the basic helix-loop-helix and PAS domain-containing family of transcription factors

GRIA3 (rs12557782) [56]α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid-type glutamate receptor component

ADAR (rs2229857) [56]Type 1 interferon-related protein, responsible for RNA editing by site-specific deamination of adenosines

IFNAR2 (rs2248202) [56]Interferon (α, β, and ω) receptor 2

CIT (rs7308076) [56]Serine/threonine-protein kinase that functions in cell division

ZFAT (rs733254) [56]Zinc-finger protein, binds DNA and functions as a transcriptional regulator involved in apoptosis and cell survival

ZFHX4 (rs11787532) [56]Zinc-finger protein, may play a role in neural and muscle differentiation

STARD13 (rs9527281) [56]Guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein, may be involved in regulation of cytoskeletal reorganization, cell proliferation, and cell motility

SLC9A9 (rs9828519) [57] Solute carrier family 9, subfamily A (NHE9, cation proton antiporter 9), member 9, localized in endosomes and may play an important role in maintaining cation homeostasis

NINJ2 (rs7298096) [55]Ninjurin 2, member of the ninjurin (for nerve injury induced) family

TBXAS1 (rs4726460) [55]Thromboxane A synthase 1, member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes that catalyze many reactions involved in drug metabolism

GRM3 (rs2237562) [55]Glutamate receptor 3

GRIK2 (rs1475919) [55]Glutamate receptor, ionotropic, kainate 2

FHIT (rs760316) [58]Fragile histidine triad involved in purine metabolism

GAPVD1 (rs10819043; rs2291858; rs10760397) [58]Guanosine triphosphatase activating protein and VPS9 domains 1, participates in various processes such as endocytosis, insulin receptor internalization, or LC2A4/GLUT4 trafficking

MS: multiple sclerosis.