title: Increased concentrations of 14-3-3 epsilon, gamma and zeta isoforms in cerebrospinal fluid of AIDS patients with neuronal destruction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  14-3-3 proteins are major evolutionarily conserved cytosolic proteins that regulate signal transduction, apoptosis and neurotransmitter synthesis. Five homologous 14-3-3 isoforms, beta, gamma, zeta, epsilon and eta, are reported in mammalian neurones. To elucidate the diagnostic value of 14-3-3 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a highly specific antibody against each isoform and studies on the isoform patterns in patients with neuronal destruction are needed.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we raised isoform-specific antibodies against 14-3-3 proteins and established a semiquantitative method of identification of each isoform by Western immunoblotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that three isoforms, 14-3-3 epsilon, gamma and zeta, appeared in the CSF of HIV patients with AIDS dementia complex or cytomegalovirus encephalitis, but not in AIDS patients without neurological symptoms or the non-HIV patients examined. The isoform patterns in AIDS patients were different from those reported in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and herpes simplex encephalitis, suggesting that the isoform patterns may facilitate the differential diagnosis. A high frequency of 14-3-3 in CSF was observed in seriously ill AIDS patients, particularly those with CD4 levels of less than 20 mm(3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggested that 14-3-3 proteins were released from destroyed neural cells and are useful real-time markers of the rate and amount of neural cell destruction in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Enzyme Chemistry, Institute for Enzyme Research, The University of Tokushima, Kuramoto-cho 3-18-15, 770-8503, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tachikawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kido
mesh_terms: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016919:Meningitis, Cryptococcal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases