The reduction of the severity of kidney damage (i.e. renal histopathology) in PT-SSAT-Cko animals in addition to the data indicating that these animals have better preserved renal function (i.e. serum creatinine and BUN levels) indicates that proximal tubule specific ablation of SSAT gene protects the kidneys against I/R injury. This evidence concerns the gene SAT1 and medical procedure.