14-3-3 proteins in the nervous system

14-3-3 proteins are involved in the control of the cell cycle, transcription and apoptosis. Owing to their multiple interactions with various kinases, receptors, enzymes and structural and cytoskeletal proteins. Although the precise role of 14-3-3 proteins is not fully understood, they seem to control the subcellular localization of proteins and to function as adaptor molecules, stimulating protein–protein interactions.There are seven known members of the 14-3-3 family, but genomic analysis points to the existence of several more. Crystallographic analysis of 14-3-3 proteins has led to the elucidation of their three-dimensional topology, and the identification of the domains that are involved in their dimerization and in their interaction with ligands.The function of 14-3-3 proteins in the brain remains obscure, but they seem to participate in various physiological cellular processes such as signalling, cell growth, division, adhesion, differentiation, apoptosis and regulation of ion channels.The presence of 14-3-3 proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid of people with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease has prompted the suggestions that these proteins might be involved in the pathogenesis of this condition and that they might serve as disease biomarkers. Although it is not clear yet whether these suggestions correspond to reality, 14-3-3 proteins have also been implicated in other conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.Future studies should focus on defining the precise roles of 14-3-3 proteins in neuronal physiology, and should try to obtain evidence for a causal relationship between the activity of 14-3-3 proteins and the disease states in which they have been implicated.