S100 beta Antibody

S100 calcium binding protein B or S100B is a protein of the S-100 protein family. S100 genes include at least 13 members which are located as a cluster on chromosome 1q21; however, this gene is located at 21q22.3. S100B is a glial-derived protein that is a well-established biomarker for severity of neurological injury and prognosis for recovery. S100 beta is a calcium-binding protein that is expressed at high levels in brain primarily by astrocytes. Addition of the disulfide-bonded dimeric form of S100 beta to primary neuronal and glial cultures and established cell lines induces axonal extension and alterations in astrocyte proliferation and phenotype, but evidence that S100 beta exerts the same effects in vivo has not been presented. Reeves et al. (1994) demonstrated that the same effects of the S100B protein are exerted in vivo. They found that both astrocytosis and neurite proliferation occurred in transgenic mice expressing elevated levels of S100b. They suggested that these transgenic mice represent a useful model for studies of the role of S100B in glial-neuronal interactions in normal development and function of the brain and for analyzing the significance of elevated levels of the protein in Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease.