IgG (Gm) allotypes and multiple sclerosis in a French population: phenotype distribution and quantitative abnormalities in CSF with respect to sex, disease severity, and presence of intrathecal antibodies.

The association of a given Gm allotype or phenotype with MS susceptibility, as previously described in some Caucasian populations, was not observed in a large French MS group, whether or not considering the possible influence of sex or disease severity. This result could be related to variations in geographical distribution of Gm alleles and MS susceptibility gene(s) or suggests the simultaneous involvement of Gm and other genetic system(s). In contrast, the corresponding CSFs exhibited already known MS-associated abnormalities of IgG1 (G1m) allotype contents, which therefore did not merely result from a Gm-associated MS susceptibility. These quantitative abnormalities were not sex dependent, but may fluctuate with MS severity. The G1m allotype levels in each CSF were not correlated with titers of various intrathecal antibodies but with the number of antibody specificities detected, a picture arguing for a polyclonal, non-antigen-specific activation of G1m allotype-producing B cells present in MS brain.