The Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome shows reduced expression of the Bcl-XL antiapoptotic protein in the hippocampus not accompanied by changes in molecular or cellular markers of cell death

The Ts65Dn (TS) mouse, the most widely used model of Down syndrome (DS), has a partial trisomy of a segment of chromosome 16 that is homologous to the distal part of human chromosome 21. This mouse shares many phenotypic characteristics with people with DS including neuromorphological, neurochemical, and cognitive disturbances. Both TS and DS brains show earlier aging and neurodegeneration. Since fibroblast cultures from TS mice and human DS hippocampal regions show increased apoptotic cell death it has been suggested that alterations in cerebral apoptosis might be implicated in the cognitive deficits found in TS mice and in people with DS. In the present study we have evaluated brain expression levels of several proapoptotic and antiapoptotic proteins from the mitochondrial (Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, Bax and Bad) and the extrinsic (Fas-R and Fas-L) apoptotic pathways as well as the final executioner caspase-3, in the cortex and hippocampus of TS mice. No significant alterations in the expression levels of the proapoptotic Bad and Bax or the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins in the cortex or hippocampus were found in TS mice. However, TS mice showed downregulation of Bcl-XL in the hippocampus. In the extrinsic pathway we found unchanged levels of Fas-L in both structures and also in the expression levels of Fas-R in the hippocampus. Although Bcl-XL downregulation suggests that the hippocampus of TS mice is less protected against programmed cell death, we did not find any evidence for increased apoptosis in TS mice since neither TUNEL-positive cells nor active caspase-3 expression were found in cortex or hippocampus of TS or CO mice.

► The expression of several apoptosis-related proteins in the Ts65Dn mouse brain were evaluated.
► No significant changes were found in the expression levels of any pro-apoptotic protein.
► Bcl-XL was downregulated in the hippocampus of Ts65Dn mice.
► No evidence was found for increased apoptosis in Ts65Dn mice cortex or hippocampus.