ANTI-GAMMA INTERFERON CAN PREVENT THE PREMATURE DEATH OF TRISOMY-16 MOUSE CORTICAL-NEURONS IN CULTURE

Previous reports have indicated that human trisomy 21 and mouse trisom y 16 neurons exhibit decreased viability in culture when compared to e uploid control cultures and that trisomic cells are significantly more sensitive to the anti-cellular effects of the interferons. In the stu dy reported here, cortical neurons from euploid and trisomy 16 mouse f etuses were treated with either anti-gamma-interferon or non-specific IgG and neuron morphology and viability measured photographically. The addition of anti-gamma-interferon IgG to the culture media had no eff ect on euploid neurons, but significantly increased trisomy neuron via bility throughout the 5-day culture period. Assay of both DNA fragment ation and phosphatidylserine externalization suggested that the trisom ic neurons were undergoing apoptosis at a significantly higher rate th an their euploid counterparts and that this increase in apoptosis coul d be almost completely prevented by addition of either ligand purified monoclonal or ligand purified polyclonal anti-gamma-interferon IgG. T aken together, these data suggest that endogenous interferon plays an important role in the premature death of the trisomy neuron. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Ail rights reserved.