L1CAM is not associated with extracellular vesicles in human cerebrospinal fluid or plasma

L1CAM is a transmembrane protein expressed on neurons that was presumed to be found on neuron-derived extracellular vesicles (NDEVs) in human biofluids. We developed a panel of single-molecule array assays to evaluate the use of L1CAM for NDEV isolation. We demonstrate that L1CAM is not associated with extracellular vesicles in human plasma or cerebrospinal fluid and therefore recommend against its use as a marker in NDEV isolation protocols. L1CAM was presumed to be a marker for neuron-derived extracellular vesicles, but this is now shown not to be the case.

Automated summary

L1CAM, previously thought to be a marker for neuron-derived extracellular vesicles, has been shown to not be associated with extracellular vesicles in human plasma or cerebrospinal fluid, and is therefore not recommended for use in NDEV isolation protocols.