Neuron specific enolase

Enolase is a glycolytic enzyme also known as phosphopyru-vate hydratase. Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is the form of enolase found in neuronal tissue and in the cells of the diffuse neuroendocrine system and the amine precursor uptake, and decarboxylation (APUD) tissue. NSE is found in tumors associated with the neuroendocrine origin, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC), neuroblastoma, pheochromocytoma, carcinoid, medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, melanoma, and pancreatic endocrine tumors. 

Among children with advanced neuroblastoma, more than 90% have been reported to have elevated serum levels of NSE. High levels of NSE are associated with poor prognosis. The levels seem to correlate with the stage of the disease. Monitoring therapy using serum NSE is controversial, particularly with respect to the issue of specificity. However, elevated levels of NSE in children with stage IV neuroblastoma were associated with a poorer outcome.  

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Takahashi S., Iwanaga T Takahashi Y., Nakano Y., et al. (1984). Neuron-specific enolase, neurofilament protein and S-100 protein protein in the olfactory mucosa of human fetuses an immunohistochemical study. Cell Tiss Res 238, 231-234. 

Pre J, Vassy R. 1993. Cigarette smoking and serum levels of alpha-1 fetoprotein carcinoembryonic antigen cancer antigens 125 and 19-9 Neurone-specific enolase. Med Sci Res 21(12) 445-446. 

Tanaka, M., N. Inase, S. Miyake, and Y. Yoshizawa. 2001. Neuron specific enolase promoter for suicide gene therapy in small cell lung carcinoma. Anticancer Res 21(lA) 291-4. 

Representative photomicrographs of neuronal immunostaining with antibodies recognizing neuron specific enolase (a) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (b) in vitro (c) and ex vivo (d) immunostaining of astrocytes with antibodies recognizing glial fibrillary acidic protein microglial cells with ED-1 (e) and OX-42 (f) antibodies... 

Pahiman, S., Esscher, T., and Nilsson, K. (1986) Expression of gamma-subunit of enolase, neuron-specific enolase, in hnman non-neuroendocrine tumors and derived cell lines. Lab. Invest. 54, 554-560. 

Substances with an unexpectedly low CSF concentration are either selectively removed from the CSF between the ventricles and lumbar sac (e.g., glycine) or are metabolized (e.g., sorbitol). Substances with an unexpectedly high CSF concentration (e.g. ascorbate, /32-microglobulin, or neuron-specific enolase) either originate from the central nervous system or reach the CSF space by carrier-mediated transport. Through the albumin ratio (RAib), the size of a locally synthesized (i.e., intrathecal) fraction can be calculated (F2, R3). 

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE). NSE is useful for monitoring the outcome of treatment and the course of disease in patients with neuroendocrine tumors, in particular small cell lung cancer and neuroblastoma. The test is not suitable as a screening or adjunct to diagnosis because of low clinical sensitivity and specificity. Elevated serum NSE concentrations are found in patients with ... 

J1. Jacobi, C., and Reiber, H., CUnical relevance of increased neuron-specific enolase in CSE. Clin. 

Hachisuka, H., Sakamoto, F., Nomura, H., Mori, O., and Sasai, Y. (1986) Immuno-histochemical study of S-100 protein and neuron specific enolase (NSE) in melanocytes and the related tumors. Acta Histochemica 80, 215-223. 

Andersen JK, Garber DA, Meaney CA, Breakefield XO (1992) Gene transfer into mammalian central nervous system using herpes virus vectors Extended expression of bacterial lacZ in neurons using the neuron-specific enolase promoter. Hum Gene Ther 3 487-499. 

An 18-year-old woman took 35 tablets of propafenone, 300 mg each. She had dilated, non-reactive pupils and greatly increased activity of neuron-specific enolase. She had atrioventricular and intraventricular conduction disorders, and repeated resuscitation was necessary. Propafenone was eliminated by plasma exchange, and the conduction disturbances disappeared rapidly during treatment. 

Polak, J.M. and Bloom, S.R, (1982). Regulatory peptides and neuron-specific enolase in the respiratory tract of man and other mammals. Exp. Lung Res. 3, 313-328. 

Pujol JL, Boher JM, Grenier J. Cyfra 21-1, neuron specific enolase and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer prospective study in 621 patients. Limg Cancer 2001 31 221-31. 

Zeltzer PM, Marangos PJ, Evans AE, Schneider SL. Serum neuron-specific enolase in children with neuroblastoma. Cancer 1986 57 1230-34. 

The usual carcinoid tumor is sofid and yeUow-tan in appearance. Tumor cells exhibit a monotonous morphology, with pink granular cytoplasm and round nuclei with infrequent mitoses. Most carcinoids can be recognized by their reactions to silver stains and to neuroendocrine cell markers, such as chromogranin and neuron-specific enolase. Ultra-structuraUy, carcinoids possess numerous membrane-bound, electron-dense neurosecretory granules. These granules contain peptide hormones and bioactive amines, which can occasionally be identified by immunocytochemi-cal techniques. 

Attempts are being made to identify more sensitive and specific markers for carcinoids. For example, measurement of chromogranin A in serum is reported to be more sensitive than urinary 5-HIAA in detecting carcinoid tumors and may reflect tumor size, but specificity is lower. Plasma levels of neuron-specific enolase, neuropeptide K, and substance P have also been suggested as diagnostic and prognostic markers in carcinoid tumors. 

Lucker, E., Eigenbrodt, E., Wenisch, S., Failing, K., Leiser, R., and Bulte, M. 1998. Development of an integrated procedure for the detection of central nervous tissue in meat products using cholesterol and neuron-specific enolase as markers. /. Food I rot. 62,268-276. 

Lucker, E., Horlacher, S., and Eigenbrodt, E. 2001. Brain in human nutrition and variant Creutzfeldt—Jakob disease risk (vCJD) Detection of brain in retail liver sausages using cholesterol and neuron specific enolase. Br. ]. Nutr. 86, S115-S119. 

Neuron-specific and non-neuron-specific enolase isoenzymes have been used as markers to distinguish neurons from nonneuronal cells (e.g., glial cells that are physically and metabolically supportive cells of neurons) by im-munocytochemical techniques. Neuron-specific enolase is extremely stable and resistant to a number of in vitro treatments (e.g., high temperature, urea, chloride) that inactivate other enolases. The functional significance of these isoenzymes is not known. 

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