Beta-amyloid peptides in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Ann Neurol. 2003 Aug;54(2):263-7. doi: 10.1002/ana.10661.

Abstract

Decreased levels of beta-amyloid peptide 1-42 (Abeta1-42) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) but recently were also observed in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). We analyzed the CSF of patients with CJD, and AD and nondemented controls using a quantitative urea-based Abeta sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblot. Like in AD and nondemented controls, we found a highly conserved pattern of carboxyterminally truncated Abeta1-37/38/39 in addition to Abeta1-40/42 also in CJD patients. By the introduction of the ratio Abeta1-39 to Abeta1-42, CJD and AD can effectively be differentiated. We conclude that the immunoblot shows disease-specific CSF Abeta peptide patterns in CJD and AD and suppose that measurement of the Abeta peptide pattern seems to be a promising diagnostic tool in the differential diagnosis of dementias.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Apolipoproteins E / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Encephalitis / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoblotting
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Peptide Fragments / cerebrospinal fluid
  • tau Proteins / cerebrospinal fluid

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Apolipoproteins E
  • Peptide Fragments
  • tau Proteins