title: Prevention of ischemic brain injury by treatment with the membrane penetrating apoptosis inhibitor, TAT-BH4.
abstract: In acute thromboembolic stroke, neurological damage is due to ischemia-induced apoptotic death of neuronal cells and the surrounding vascular network. Here, we demonstrate that the BH4 domain of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-x(L), attached to the membrane transport peptide, TAT, reduces stroke injury after intracerebroventricular infusion into immature rats subjected to carotid artery ligation and additional exposure to hypoxia. The injected TAT-BH4 entered neuron bodies, maintained brain architecture, protected neuronal and endothelial cells from apoptosis and promoted neuronal stem cell recruitment. In vitro, TAT-BH4 enhanced the survival of endothelial cells exposed to H(2)O(2), increased neuronal differentiation, and induced axonal remodelling of adult neuronal stem cells. These findings indicate that TAT-BH4 administration protects against acute hypoxia/ischemia injury in the brain by preventing endothelial and neuron cell apoptosis and by inducing neuronal plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Siena, Via Moro 2, Siena, Italy. donnini4@unisi.it
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Donnini
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Solito
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Balduini
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carloni
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cimino
authors.forename: Edward T W
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Bampton
authors.forename: Lucia G P
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Pinon
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nicotera
authors.forename: Philip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Thorpe
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ziche
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002534:Hypoxia, Brain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D010455:Peptides; C540574:TAT-BH4 peptide