Multiple sclerosis and the CTLA4 autoimmunity polymorphism CT60: no association in patients from Germany, Hungary and Poland.

Polymorphisms in the CTLA4 gene region have been associated with susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. The recently described single nucleotide polymorphism CT60, located in the 3' untranslated region of CTLA4 is associated with Graves' disease, thyroiditis, autoimmune diabetes and other autoimmune diseases. A case-control association study was conducted in German, Hungarian and Polish multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and regional control individuals for the CTLA4 CT60 and +49A/G polymorphisms.

I kappa B kinase 2/beta deficiency controls expansion of autoreactive T cells and suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

The NF-kappaB family of transcription factors plays a pivotal role in T cell activation and survival during (auto) immune responses. IkappaB kinase 2/beta (IKK2) is part of the IkappaB kinase complex, a central component of the intracellular signaling pathway mediating NF-kappaB activation. We studied the role of IKK2 in autoantigen-specific T cell activation and induction of autoimmune disease using mice that lack this kinase specifically in T cells (IKK2(DeltaT cell) mice).