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Release of soluble ICAM-5, a neuronal adhesion molecule, in acute encephalitis

Perttu J Lindsberg1, J Launes, L Tian

  • 1Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, FIN-00029 HUS, Helsinki, Finland. perttu.lindsberg@hus.fi

Neurology
|February 13, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-5 (sICAM-5) is elevated in cerebrospinal fluid during acute encephalitis, correlating with cognitive function and leukocyte counts. This suggests sICAM-5 plays a role in neuroinflammation and immune responses.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Intercellular adhesion molecule-5 (ICAM-5), also known as telencephalin, is expressed in telencephalic neurons and mediates neuron-leukocyte binding.
  • Human cerebral neurons express ICAM-5, facilitating neuron-leukocyte interactions in the central nervous system (CNS).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the expression and role of ICAM-5 during clinical CNS inflammation.
  • To determine if soluble ICAM-5 (sICAM-5) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are altered in patients with neurological inflammatory conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Immunoblotting was used to identify a soluble form of ICAM-5 (sICAM-5).
  • An ELISA assay was developed to quantify sICAM-5 levels.
  • CSF samples from patients with acute encephalitis, multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy controls were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • sICAM-5 levels were significantly increased in patients with acute encephalitis compared to those with MS and healthy controls (p < 0.001).
  • CSF sICAM-5 concentration correlated with immediate recall performance (p = 0.013) and CSF leukocyte count (p = 0.02).
  • A strong correlation was observed between sICAM-5 and leukocyte count in herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis cases (r = 0.94; p = 0.002).

Conclusions:

  • sICAM-5 is released into the CSF during acute encephalitis, indicating its involvement in CNS inflammation.
  • sICAM-5 may mediate leukocyte-neuron interactions and actively regulate immune responses during microbial neuroinvasion.
  • The findings suggest sICAM-5 is a potential biomarker for encephalitis and a mediator of immune cell adhesion in the brain.
Abstract

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