Figure 4.

Gene transfer of constitutively active Akt1 and Akt3 (cAkt1 and cAkt3), but not dominant-negative Akt (AktDN), reduced brain infarction after focal ischemia. (A) Representative coronal sections of brains show infarction areas and injection sites. Injection sites are marked by squares in which needle tracks are visible. (B) Average infarct size is determined from brain sections with needle tracts. Infarct area was measured and normalized to the nonischemic contralateral cortex, and expressed as a percentage. **, ***, versus control vector of GFP, P<0.01, 0.001, respectively. ΦΦ, cAkt1 versus cAkt3, P<0.01. (C) Representative immunostaining of GFP in brains transfected with various lentiviral vectors. (D) GFP levels measured by western blot indicate the effects of gene transfer on brain injury. All protein bands presented are derived from the same gel (see Supplementary Figure 5), but were cut and rearranged for convenient comparison. Transfected brain tissues at the needle tracks were dissected for western blotting. The average protein levels of GFP are presented in the bar graphs. N=6/group. ** versus control vector of GFP, P<0.01, respectively. ΦΦ, P<0.05, 0.01, respectively, between the two indicated groups.