ELEVATION OF NEURONAL EXPRESSION OF NAIP REDUCES ISCHEMIC DAMAGE IN THE RAT HIPPOCAMPUS

We show here that transient forebrain ischemia selectively elevates le vels of neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP) in rat neurons th at are resistant to the injurious effects of this treatment. This obse rvation suggests that increasing NAIP levels may confer protection aga inst ischemic cell death. Consistent with this proposal, we demonstrat e that two other treatments that increase neuronal NAIP levels, system ic administration of the bacterial alkaloid K252a and intracerebral in jection of an adenovirus vector capable of overexpressing NAIP in vivo , reduce ischemic damage in the rat hippocampus. Taken together, these findings suggest that NAIP may play a key role in conferring resistan ce to ischemic damage and that treatments that elevate neuronal levels of this antiapoptotic protein may have utility in the treatment of st roke.