Elevated levels of the alpha subunit of GTP-binding protein Go in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with neurological disorders.

By employing a highly sensitive immunoassay method, concentration of the alpha subunit of GTP-binding protein, Go (Go alpha), recently shown to be localized mainly in nervous tissues and neuroendocrine cells, was determined in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) of 192 patients with various neurological disorders and 50 control subjects. The results were compared with CSF levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100b protein (S-100b) in the same samples. Normal levels of Go alpha were 51.9 +/- 21.7 pg/ml. The levels of Go alpha, as well as NSE and S-100b, in CSF were enhanced in some patients with acute conditions, e.g., meningitis (48%), encephalitis (100%), and cerebral infarct (56%). In these disorders, cases with enhanced Go alpha levels were more frequent than those with enhanced NSE or S-100b. Three patients with encephalitis whose Go alpha levels were more than 1000 pg/ml all died; the remaining two patients with encephalitis and slightly elevated Go alpha levels had a good prognosis. Concentration of Go alpha in CSF correlated well with that of NSE but poorly with that of S-100b. However, cervical spondylosis and demyelinating diseases, CSF levels of Go alpha were generally lower than those of NSE or S-100b. These results suggest that Go alpha in CSF is a useful marker for monitoring patients with acute neuronal damage. Since these three proteins are distributed differently in the central nervous system, simultaneous determination of Go alpha, NSE, and S-100b levels in CSF might provide valuable information about the pathophysiology of neurological disorders.