Isoform Pattern of 14-3-3 Proteins in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Abstract

Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of CSF has been used in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). One of the two diagnostic protein spots was identified as isoform(s) of the 14-3-3 family of abundant brain proteins. This has led to the development of one-dimensional 14-3-3 sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblot, which is currently used to support the diagnosis of CJD. In the present study employing western blot analysis, we have identified the panel of 14-3-3 isoforms that appear in the CSF of 10 patients with CJD compared with 10 patients with other dementias. The results clearly show that the 14-3-3 isoforms β, γ, ε, and η are present in the CSF of patients with CJD and can be used to differentiate other dementias. 14-3-3η also gave a baseline signal in all patients with other dementias, including six patients with Alzheimer's disease. The presence of 14-3-3η in the CSF of a patient with herpes simplex encephalitis was particularly noteworthy. This study has determined that isoform-specific 14-3-3 antibodies against β, γ, and ε should be considered for the neurochemical differentiation of CJD from other neurodegenerative diseases.