Methods for diagnosing and treating ischemia and reperfusion injury and compositions thereof

A method of screening for a test compound capable of interfering with the binding of a protein encoded by a marker listed in Table 3 and a specific factor which binds to the protein, the method comprising:

• a) combining the protein, a test compound and the specific factor which binds to the protein;
• and
• b) determining the binding of the protein and the specific factor,
• wherein the specific factor is selected from the group consisting of a substrate for the protein, a ligand for the protein, a polynucleotide and a cell surface receptor, and
• wherein the test compound is selected from the group consisting of naturally-occurring compounds, biomolecules, proteins, peptides, oligopeptides, polysaccharides, nucleotides, polynucleotides, and small molecules selected from the group of libraries consisting of spatially addressable parallel solid phase or solution phase libraries or synthetic libraries made from deconvolution, ‘one-bead one-compound’ methods or by affinity chromatography selection, and
• wherein the marker is selected from the group consisting of markers listed in Table 4, Table 6 and Table 7.

A method of screening test compounds for inhibitors of organ damage resulting from reperfusion, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) obtaining a sample comprising cells;
• b) separately maintaining aliquots of the sample in the presence of a plurality of test compounds;
• c) comparing the expression levels of a marker in each of the aliquots, wherein the marker is selected from the group consisting of markers listed in Table 3;
• and
• d) selecting one of the test compounds which induces a substantially decreased level of expression of the marker in the aliquot containing that test compound, relative to other test compounds, and
• wherein the test compounds are selected from the group consisting of proteins, oligopeptides, polysaccharides, polynucleotides and small molecules selected from the group of libraries consisting of spatially addressable parallel solid phase or solution phase libraries or synthetic libraries made from deconvolution, ‘one-bead one-compound’ methods or by affinity chromatography selection, and
• wherein the test compound induces an expression level in the marker that
• approximates a normal level of expression, and
• wherein the sample is collected from ischemic tissue taken after organ transplantation.

A method of determining the severity of reperfusion injury in a subject, the method comprising the step of comparing:

• a) a level of expression of a marker in a sample from the subject, wherein the marker is selected from the group consisting of markers listed in Table 3 and
• b) a normal level of expression of the marker in a control sample,
• wherein an abnormal increase in the level of expression of the marker in the sample from the subject relative to the normal level is an indication that the subject is suffering from severe reperfusion injury, and
• wherein the level of expression of the marker in the sample is assessed by detecting the presence in the sample of a protein corresponding to the marker.