This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Blocking the expression of just one protein in the brain delays the onset of paralysis in mice with a form of multiple sclerosis, say researchers at the School of Medicine.

Exactly why this happens is still unclear. It may be, in part, that blocking expression of the protein, SIRT1, enhances the production of cells that make the insulating myelin sheath necessary for the transmission of nerve signals. This myelin coating is damaged in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barre syndrome........ Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/index.cfm/nervecells

The SIRT1 rang a bell, I refreshed myself on it, it is the gene that has been the focus of much research particularly in the longevity areas, but it seems to be in the opposite direction, where upregulation of the SIRT1 gene is associated with longevity and reduction of chronic diseases of ageing, there is a vast amount of research going on and the results indicate sometimes upregulation is beneficial and other times downregulation is beneficial.
One of the key effects of SIRT1 is the control of cell apoptosis, in controlling the number of times a cell can divide, this most likely minimises mutation issues being multiplied.
If SIRT1 is supressed, cells continue to divide limitlessly apparantly, but the cells are completely formed and normal, unlike cancer cells which also divide without limits, but are not fully formed or developed and do not have functioning mitochondria.
There is no doubt much more going on than just SIRT1 in the big picture.