title: Characteristic protein fractions of cerebrospinal fluid disc electrophoretic analysis.
abstract: The present work was undertaken to determine characteristic proteins of normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, and to evaluate their usefulness as indicators of blood-brain-CSF barrier disturbance. The technique has been applied to 1280 samples of unconcentrated CSF obtained from 27 reference subjects and 847 neurological patients, with a simultaneous analysis of 361 sera. The pre-albumin content (mean +/- S.D. as a percentage of total protein, 11.0 +/- 2.3%) was higher than formerly reported. One reason for this is that preliminary concentration was not necessary, and the second is related to the principle of protein resolution. The no. 5 protein band of the post-albumin group (3.9 +/- 1.1%) was characteristic, though it has not yet been identified. The no. 3 protein band of the post-transferrin group (5.2 +/- 1.7%) was highly specific to CSF; it was found to be closely related to transferrin, and may correspond to tau fraction obtained by other methods. Barrier dysfunction was easily recognizable by the appearance of polymers of haptoglobin 2-1 or 2-2, because only haptoglobin 1-1 was detected in normal CSF. The percentage of the main region of the G-zone (13.7 +/- 2.6%) was postulated as normal content of CSF immunoglobulins.
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D004589:Electrophoresis, Disc / Q000379:methods*; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D010641:Phenotype; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D014168:Transferrin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins; D006242:Haptoglobins; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D011228:Prealbumin; D014168:Transferrin