Peripheral blood AKAP7 expression as an early marker for lymphocyte-mediated post-stroke blood brain barrier disruption

O’Connell, Grant C.; Treadway, Madison B.; Petrone, Ashley B.; Tennant, Connie S.; Lucke-Wold, Noelle; Chantler, Paul D.; Barr, Taura L.

le foundational knowledge which will allow for more in-depth exploration into AKAP7 as both a clinical biomarker and therapeutic target with regards to post-stroke BBB disruption. Collectively, our results suggest that early expression levels of AKAP7 in the peripheral immune system are predictive of the development of BBB disruption in the days following ischemic stroke. Furthermore, our findings suggest that AKAP7 is a marker for a highly adherent lymphocyte phenotype, and may be elevated in patients who later develop post-stroke BBB disruption as a result of the presence of an invasive lymphocyte phenotype in peripheral blood. Thus, AKAP7 may a clinically useful biomarker for the identification of patients at heightened risk for the development of post-stroke BBB disruption. This work yields novel insight regarding the biology of AKAP7 in the context of the peripheral immune system, and provides a foundation for further study regarding the role of AKAP7 in stroke pathology.