Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Mellen Center for Multiple
Sclerosis Treatment and Research, Cleveland, OH, USA | Neuroinflammation Research Center, Cleveland Clinic
Foundation, Cleveland OH, USA | Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research
Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA | Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland
Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA | Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine at Case
Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA | Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN,
USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Robert J. Fox, Mellen Center for Multiple
Sclerosis Treatment and Research, U-10, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH
44122, USA
Abstract: Leukocyte infiltrates characterize tissue inflammation and are
thought to be integral in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). This
attribute underlines the importance of understanding mechanisms of leukocyte
migration. Chemokines are secreted proteins which govern leukocyte trafficking
into targeted organs. Chemokine receptors (CKR) are differentially expressed on
leukocytes and their modulation is a potential target for MS disease modifying
therapies. Chemokines and their receptors are also potential biomarkers of both
disease activity and response to treatment. We describe the fluctuations in CKR
expression on peripheral leukocytes in a group of MS patients followed
longitudinally for up to 36 months. We observed little fluctuation in CKR
expression within each patient over time, despite considerable variability in
CKR expression between patients. These observations suggest that individual
patients have a CKR set point, and this set point varies from one patient to
another. Evaluation of chemokines or chemokine receptors as biomarkers in MS
will need to account for this individual variability in CKR expression.
