An adenoviral vector expressing the glucose transporter protects cultured striatal neurons from 3-nitropropionic acid

Considerable interest has focused on the possibility of using gene transfer techniques to introduce protective genes into neurons around the time of n ecrotic insults. We have previously used herpes simplex virus amplicon vect ors to overexpress the rat brain glucose transporter, Glut-1 (GT), and have shown it to protect against a variety of necrotic insults both in vitro an d in vivo, as well as to buffer neurons from the steps thought to mediate n ecrotic injury. It is critical to show the specificity of the effects of an y such transgene overexpression, in order to show that protection arises fr om the transgene delivered, rather than from the vector delivery system its elf. As such, we tested the protective potential of GT overexpression drive n, in this case, by an adenoviral vector, against a novel insult, namely ex posure of primary striatal cultures to the metabolic poison, 3-nitropropion ic acid (3NP). We observed that GT overexpression buffered neurons from neu rotoxicity induced by 3NP. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed.