title: Elevation of Gas6 protein concentration in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gas6 enhances survival of Schwann cells and neurons in vitro and participates in autoimmunity in animal models. Since its concentration in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is unknown, we measured it in samples from patients with non-inflammatory/non-autoimmune neurological diseases (NINAD) and autoimmune polyneuropathies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples collected after informed consent during diagnostic lumbar puncture in the period 1999-2006 were stored at -30 degrees C. We considered subjects with NINAD (stroke, ALS, headache, psychiatric conditions simulating neurological diseases, otologic dizziness) or with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) or CIDP. CSF and plasma total protein and age were obtained from clinical records. Gas6 was measured with an ELISA developed and validated in our laboratory (inter-, intra-assay CVs <10%, recovery 96%). Variance, Tukey's post-hoc test, regression were calculated with a statistical software (Statsoft).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean Gas6 concentration in patients with NINAD was 6.5+/-2.4 ng/ml, 7.2+/-2.6 ng/ml in GBS and significantly higher (11.5+/-1.7 ng/ml) in CIDP than in the other conditions (post-hoc, p<0.005). It was not related to age, CSF total proteins or to CSF/plasma ratio of total proteins (regression, p>0.1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gas6 is detectable in CSF and may be involved in chronic autoimmune demyelination or myelin repair.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Medicina Interna e Immunologia Clinica, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università del Piemonte Orientale A. Avogadro, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Pier Paolo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Sainaghi
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Collimedaglia
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alciato
authors.forename: Maurizio A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Erinda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Puta
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Naldi
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Castello
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monaco
authors.forename: Gian Carlo
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Avanzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020277:Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000099255:Growth Arrest-Specific Protein 6
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D000099255:Growth Arrest-Specific Protein 6