Analysis of protein patterns in two-dimensional gels of cultured human cells with trisomy 21

The occurrence of one chromosome of the cell in triplicate (trisomy, Ts) should increase the amount of all cell proteins coded by genes located on this chromosome. Many other proteins should be altered in their quantity by regulator genes, present in a threefold dosage, and by several indirect effects of the trisomy. We used two-dimensional electrophoresis to investigate the effect of the human Ts 21 on the proteins. Cells from different individuals with Ts 21 were cultured. Seven cell lines were derived from skin tissue and four from cells in amniotic fluid, and two cell clones were raised from fetal lung with Ts 21 mosaic. Stained two-dimensional protein patterns from these cell lines were compared with control patterns, and clearly visible differences in the staining intensity of corresponding polypeptide spots were evaluated. A few quantitatively variant polypeptides occurred in all trisomic cell lines investigated that were of a particular cell type, but no variants were consistently present in all of the 13 cell lines investigated. However the total number of variants (including variants not found in all individual cell lines) was considerably higher in trisomic cells than in normal cells.