title: Glial fibrillary acidic protein is a body fluid biomarker for glial pathology in human disease.
abstract: This review on the role of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as a biomarker for astroglial pathology in neurological diseases provides background to protein synthesis, assembly, function and degeneration. Qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques for the investigation of human tissue and biological fluid samples are discussed including partial lack of parallelism and multiplexing capabilities. Pathological implications are reviewed in view of immunocytochemical, cell-culture and genetic findings. Particular emphasis is given to neurodegeneration related to autoimmune astrocytopathies and to genetic gain of function mutations. The current literature on body fluid levels of GFAP in human disease is summarised and illustrated by disease specific meta-analyses. In addition to the role of GFAP as a diagnostic biomarker for chronic disease, there are important data on the prognostic value for acute conditions. The published evidence permits to classify the dominant GFAP signatures in biological fluids. This classification may serve as a template for supporting diagnostic criteria of autoimmune astrocytopathies, monitoring disease progression in toxic gain of function mutations, clinical treatment trials (secondary outcome and toxicity biomarker) and provide prognostic information in neurocritical care if used within well defined time-frames.
authors.affiliation: VUmc, Department of Neurology, De Boelelaan 1118, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands; UCL Institute of Neurology, Department of Neuroimmunology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom. Electronic address: a.petzold@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petzold
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000378:metabolism; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
keywords: Autoimmune astrocytopathies; Body fluid biomarker; GFAP; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; Intermediate filaments; Neurodegeneration