Possible explanation for long-term, protective effect of pregnancy in multiple sclerosis
Pia Campagna, PhD student.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) mainly affects women who are diagnosed in their childbearing years (20-40 years of age). Understanding the impact of pregnancy on the progression of the disease is therefore a priority for women living with MS and their healthcare teams. Research Group Leader (and senior author), Dr Vilija Jokubaitis has previously shown that pregnancy is associated with reduced long-term disability progression, yet how exactly is still not known. Investigating this further could help us better understand the underlying drivers of the onset and progression of the disease, and also identify potential targets for new treatments targeting neurodegeneration.
A study recently published in Clinical Epigenetics by researchers in the Department of Neuroscience has identified a possible explanation for how pregnancy has long-term benefits for women with MS. First author and PhD student, Ms Pia Campagna, said that they observed persistent differences in DNA methylation of genes related to neural plasticity between women living with MS who have never been pregnant (nulligravida) and those who have given birth (parous). In addition, they found that women with MS who have given birth showed slower biological ageing compared to those who have not.
DNA methylation is a key epigenetic mechanism that activates or represses gene transcription. Several lines of evidence suggest that DNA methylation may play a role in how pregnancy affects outcomes in women with MS by influencing immune and central nervous system function. Despite these findings, no study has conducted an epigenome-wide association study of parity in women with MS to date.
Ms Campagna said, “We found significantly different levels of DNA methylation at genes associated with neural plasticity pathways at a median of 16.7 years after conception. We also observed slower biological ageing in parous women which is consistent with previous research in healthy women. Based on these findings, we believe that pregnancy-induced differences in DNA methylation could underlie the long-term protective effect of pregnancy in women with MS.”
The group are now set to confirm their results in a prospective and longitudinal cohort of women with and without MS who are planning a pregnancy. This prospective study will track immunological and genomic changes at multiple timepoints throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. This will allow the researchers to characterise how these changes may protect against disability accumulation in women with MS.
Healthy volunteers planning a pregnancy are currently being invited to participate in the study. For more information visit the following website:
Citation of article
- Campagna MP, Xavier A, Stankovich J, Maltby VE, Slee M, Yeh WZ, Kilpatrick T, Scott RJ, Butzkueven H, Lechner-Scott J, Lea RA, Jokubaitis VG. Parity is associated with long-term differences in DNA methylation at genes related to neural plasticity in multiple sclerosis. Clin Epigenetics. 2023 Feb 10;15(1):20. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13148-023-01438-4
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
For more news, visit Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences or Monash University.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES