The 14-3-3 Brain Protein in Cerebrospinal Fluid as a Marker for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies

Abstract

There is no practical and reliable premortem test for Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and the related transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Two proteins, designated 130 and 131, which have been detected in low concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, appear to be sensitive and specific markers for the disease. Attempts to identify these proteins, however, have been unsuccessful. We hypothesized that they may be present in the normal brain.