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

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.