Antiapoptotic effect both in vivo and in vitro of A20 gene when transfected into rat hippocampal neurons¹

Aim: To evaluate the antiapoptotic effect of the A20 gene in primary hippocampal
neurons both in vivo and in vitro.
Methods: Primary hippocampal neurons in
embryonic day 18 (E18) rats were transfected with the A20 gene by using the new
Nucleofector electroporation transfection method. We then examined, whether
A20 -neurons possessed anti-apoptotic abilities after TNF-α stimulation in vitro.
A20-neurons and pcDNA3 -neurons were transplanted into the penumbra of the
brains of rats that had been subjected to 90-min of ischemia induced by left middle
cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).
Results: A20-neurons resisted TNF-α induced
apoptosis in vitro. The apoptosis rate of neurons overexpressing A20
(28.46%±3.87%) was lower than that in neurons transfected with pcDNA3
(53.06%±5.36%). More A20-neurons survived in the penumbra both 3-d and 7-
d after transplantation than did sham pcDNA3 neurons.
Conclusion: The novel
function of A20 may make it a potential targets for the gene therapy for neurological
diseases.