Ischemia Regulated Transcription Factors: Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1 and Activating Transcription Factor 4

Abstract During a stroke, the brain integrates stress and damage signals to ensure neuronal death or survival to optimize survival of the whole organism. Stresses relevant to stroke include hypoxia, glucose deprivation, and oxidative stress. Our laboratory has focused on understanding how these stresses are transduced into changes in gene expression by focusing on transcription factors activated by stress, and whether these transcription factors mediate prodeath or prosurvival responses. Prior data from our laboratory have shown that when transcriptional changes that integrate cell survival responses fail and stress or damage is persistent, programmed cell death is activated. Specifically, we discuss the transcription factors activating transcription factor 4 and hypoxia inducible factor and the role they play during stroke. We also explore the development of therapeutic strategies to target the activity of these transcription factors to provide neuroprotection during stroke.