EFFECTS OF NERVE GROWTH-FACTOR ON ELECTRICAL MEMBRANE-PROPERTIES OF CULTURED DORSAL-ROOT GANGLIA NEURONS FROM NORMAL AND TRISOMY-21 HUMAN FETUSES

Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) results in abnormalities of electrical membrane properties of cultured human fetal dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons; namely, faster rates of depolarization and repolarization of the action potential, and a shortened spike duration. A possible role of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the expression of abnormal electrical membrane properties fetal human DRG neurons from trisomy 21 subjects was examined. DRG neurons obtained from normal and trisomy 21 abortuses of 16-20 weeks gestation were cultured in the presence or absence of 40 nM 7S NGF. After 1 week in culture, action potentials were recorded using the whole cell patch-clamp technique, in current clamp mode. At the resting membrane potential, normal (diploid) neurons grown without NGF showed reduced maximal rates of depolarization (-41.3%) and of repolarization (-31.4%), a decreased spike amplitude (-14.2%) and a prolonged action potential (+49.2%), when compared to normal cells cultured with NGF. Trisomy 21 neurons showed similar changes, but had a greater relative decrease in the rates of action potential depolarization and repolarization. These changes were evident at different membrane potentials. Normal and trisomic DRG neurons cultured without NGF showed differences in action potential parameters similar to those previously described using NGF-supplemented culture medium. These data indicate that NGF can regulate electrical membrane properties in cultured human fetal DRG neurons, but apparently is not responsible for the abnormalities observed in trisomy 21 neurons.