Ask A Scientist© Biology Archive

Author:      iguanajoe
Text:        I have recently read that interferon is being used as a treatment 
for multiple sclerosis.  Please explain how it affects the nerve tissue and 
how effective it is.

Response #:  1 of 2
Text:        Interferon is a cell to cell chemical messenger which essentially 
protects cells from viruses.  That is, when a virus infects a cell, it sends 
out interferon, which is received by neighboring cells.  A biochemical 
reaction then follows which builds the cells resistance viruses, and 
hopefully, it will be enough to prevent the virus from spreading.  If there is 
work with interferon and MS, perhaps some researchers believe that MS is 
caused by a viral infection that destroys nervous tissue.  r, that viruses 
cause some genetic mutation which compromises the maintenance of healthy 
nervous tissue.  By the way, the genetic cause for another muscular-nervous 
disorder, Lou Gherigs Disease or ALS, was recently found to be a hereditary 
genetic disorder.  People susceptible to ALS did not have a gene which codes 
for a certain superoxide dismutase antioxidant enzyme, necessary to maintain 
healthy nervous tissue and prevent it from free radical destruction.  Maybe 
the cause of MS is similar.

Response #:  2 of 2
Author:      ProfBill
Text:        A quick scan of midline produces the following rationale.  MS is 
an autoimmune disease, that is, the body's immune system attacks some critical 
cell type in your own body.  The defense system has been turned against the 
owner.  In MS, the immune system attacks the insulating sheath around nerves 
that allows electrical signals to be transmitted correctly.  It does not 
attack the nervous cells directly.  The immune system cells that do this use 
one type of interferon (IF-gamma) as an attractant chemical to help them do 
this nasty piece of work.  So, IF-gamma makes MS worse.  Another interferon, 
IF-beta, appears to block the immune cells from secreting IF-gamma, so they 
cannot recruit their neighbors to help them destroy the insulating sheath.  So 
there you have it.  Clinical trials in the US are just being done now to 
assess how well this works.  By the way, the insulating sheath that is 
attacked in MS is called *myelin* and the cells that form it are called glial 
cells (general term) or Schwann cells (specific term to myelin).  Hope this is 
of use.  It is a fascinating area.