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Immunochemical determination of cellular prion proteinin plasma from healthy subjects and patients withsporadic CJD or other neurologic diseases
Author(s) -
Völkel Dirk,
Zimmermann Klaus,
Zerr Inga,
Bodemer Monica,
Lindner Thomas,
Turecek Peter L.,
Poser Sigrid,
Schwarz Hans P.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1046/j.1537-2995.2001.41040441.x
Subject(s) - medicine , prion protein , disease , pathology , blood plasma , protease , immunology , gastroenterology , biology , enzyme , biochemistry
BACKGROUND: Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease is thought to be caused by conversion of cellular prion protein (PrP) from its soluble form (PrP sen ) to a pathologic form (PrP res ). The occurrence of a new variant of CJD has increased the demand for a rapid assay capable of detecting a theoretical risk of transmission of the disease by blood or plasma. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A quantitative sandwich ELISA for routine screening was developed for analysis of PrP levels in plasma. The time‐resolved dissociation‐enhanced fluorescence technology allowed a detection limit in plasma samples of approximately 50 pg/mL. Levels of PrP sen were tested in plasma from 31 patients with CJD, from 11 patients with other neurodegenerative diseases, and from a control group of 200 healthy subjects. RESULTS: The assay recognized both PrP sen and pathologic PrP res , but did not differentiate between the two isoforms. PrP sen levels were higher in plasma from both patient groups than in plasma from the control group: 27 of the 31 (87%) CJD patients and all patients with other neurodegenerative diseases had higher levels than the highest concentration found in the control group. No correlation was found between age and PrP level. No signal could be detected in the CJD samples after protease K digestion, indicating that all detected PrP was protease‐sensitive and therefore not pathologic. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that soluble PrP sen in plasma samples might be useful as a surrogate marker for a broad spectrum of neurologic diseases as well as for CJD.