T Lymphocytes Apoptosis and Mitochondrial Membrane Potential in Down's Syndrome

Abstract

The increased susceptibility to infection, malignancies, and autoimmune disease, suggest that immunodeficiency is an integral part of Down's syndrome (DS). Little is known about the mitochondrial damage and tendency to apoptosis in peripheral T lymphocyte cells in DS. We studied 30 children with DS and 30 normal children, 15 of each group having no evidence of acute infection and 15 with acute infection. Potential apoptosis and membrane mitochondrial potential (MMP) were measured by flow cytometry. T lymphocytes in peripheral blood from DS patients do not display an increased tendency to undergo apoptosis, although a significant loss of MMP was found.

Keywords :

• Down's syndrome
• apoptosis
• mitochondrial membrane potential
• flow cytometry