Previous studies showed that depleting Liver Kinase-B1 (LKB1) from astrocytes increased inflammatory factors lipocalin-2 (LCN2) and osteopontin (OPN) in EAE. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in STK11 (encoding LKB1) is a risk factor for MS, suggesting increased LCN2 or OPN contributes to risk. Serum LCN2 and OPN levels in African American female MS patients were higher than healthy controls, and while levels increased with disease duration in cases without the SNP, levels decreased with duration in cases with the SNP. Increased MS risk associated with the STK11 SNP may be due to higher LCN2 or OPN levels at early times.
Keywords: Biomarker; LCN2; Lipocalin-2; Multiple sclerosis; Osteopontin.
Published by Elsevier B.V.