en Genetics & Disease Genetics & Disease Original Article Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Recent studies have revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are connected with pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, glucocorticoids have fundamental regulatory roles on the immune system, and act as potent therapeutic compounds for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The long noncoding RNA growth arrest-specific 5 (<em>GAS5</em>) which accumulates inside the cells in response to cellular starvation/growth arrest, acts as a potent repressor of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) through its glucocorticoid response element (GRE). The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of lncRNA <em>GAS5</em> and its downstream target Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 3 Group C Member&nbsp;1(<em>NR3C1</em>) in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), and to define the role of <em>GAS5</em> in the regulation of <em>NR3C1</em> expression. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed for investigating the expression of <em>GAS5</em> and <em>NR3C1</em> in MS patients and healthy subjects. We found that <em>GAS5</em> levels were up-regulated in blood of MS patients compared with healthy subjects in correlation with <em>NR3C1</em> expression. Our findings suggest that<em> GAS5</em> may play important role in the molecular etiology and treatment of MS.</div> Multiple sclerosis, GAS5, NR3C1 102 110 http://ijmcmed.org/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1391-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Jalal Gharesouran Gharesouranj@tbzmed.ac.ir 100319475328460011808 100319475328460011808 No Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Mohammad Taheri mohammad_823@yahoo.com 100319475328460011809 100319475328460011809 No Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Arezou Sayad ar.sayad@yahoo.com 100319475328460011810 100319475328460011810 No Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard ghafourifard@razi.tums.ac.ir 100319475328460011811 100319475328460011811 No Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Mehrdokht Mazdeh Mazdeh.m@yahoo.com 100319475328460011812 100319475328460011812 No Neurophysiology Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. Mir Davood Omrani davood_omrani@yahoo.co.uk 100319475328460011813 100319475328460011813 Yes Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.