Cited by 118Down syndrome and intellectual disability researchGenetics and Neurodevelopmental DisordersWilliams Syndrome Research

Lifespan analysis of brain development, gene expression and behavioral phenotypes in the Ts1Cje, Ts65Dn and Dp(16)1/Yey mouse models of Down syndrome

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Aziz, Nadine M., Guedj, Faycal, Pennings, Jeroen L. A., Olmos-Serrano, Jose Luis, Siegel, Ashley, Haydar, Tarik F., Bianchi, Diana W.·2018·Disease Models & Mechanisms

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) results from triplication of human chromosome 21. Neuropathological hallmarks of DS include atypical central nervous system development that manifests prenatally and extends throughout life. As a result, individuals with DS exhibit cognitive and motor deficits and have delays in achieving developmental milestones. To determine whether different mouse models of DS recapitulate the human prenatal and postnatal phenotypes, here we directly compared brain histogenesis, gene expression, and behavior over the lifespan of three cytogenetically distinct mouse models of DS: Ts1Cje, Ts65Dn and Dp(16)1/Yey. Histological data indicated that Ts65Dn mice were the most consistently affected with respect to somatic growth, neurogenesis, and brain morphogenesis. Embryonic and adult gene expression results showed that Ts1Cje and Ts65Dn brains had considerably more differentially expressed (DEX) genes compared to Dp(16)1/Yey mice, despite the larger number of triplicated genes in the latter model. In addition, DEX genes showed little overlap in identity and chromosomal distribution in the three models, leading to dissimilarities in affected functional pathways. Perinatal and adult behavioral testing also highlighted differences among the models in their abilities to achieve various developmental milestones and perform hippocampal- and motor-based tasks. Interestingly, Dp(16)1/Yey mice showed no abnormalities in prenatal brain phenotypes, yet they manifested behavioral deficits starting at postnatal day 15 that continued through adulthood. In contrast, Ts1Cje mice showed mildly abnormal embryonic brain phenotypes, but only select behavioral deficits as neonates and adults. Altogether, our data showed widespread and unexpected fundamental differences in behavioral, gene expression, and brain development phenotypes between these three mouse models. Our findings illustrate unique limitations of each model when studying aspects of brain development and function in DS. This work helps to inform model selection in future studies investigating how observed neurodevelopmental abnormalities arise, how they contribute to cognitive impairment, and when testing therapeutic molecules to ameliorate the intellectual disability associated with DS.

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  • Dp16 mice showed less freezing behavior compared to WT mice after the second shock on day 1 in contextual fear conditioning.

    “As previously reported,38,40 Dp16 mice showed less freezing behavior compared to WT mice after the second shock on day 1 (Figure 2B).”

    From Interferon signaling modulates Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease pathology in a mouse model (2025) · cites this paper as [40]

    The Results (Adult behavior, Fig. 6C) report that Dp(16)1/Yey mice showed higher, not lower, freezing than euploid littermates 60 seconds after the second shock on day 1. The lower freezing reported for these mice occurred on day 2 (Fig. 6F). (LLM, conf=0.95)

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  • Recent studies indicate an increased ratio of inhibitory to excitatory neurons in the cortex and hippocampus in Dp16 mice that is associated with deficits in learning, memory, and motor function.

    “recent studies that indicate an increased ratio of inhibitory to excitatory neurons in the cortex and hippocampus in Dp16 mice that is associated with deficits in learning, memory, and motor function.”

    From Interferon signaling modulates Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease pathology in a mouse model (2025) · cites this paper as [40]

    The Results section (Excitatory and inhibitory neuronal density; Fig. 4) reports decreased cortical PV+ and SS+ inhibitory neurons and no change in hippocampal inhibitory populations in Dp(16)1/Yey mice, not an increased inhibitory-to-excitatory ratio in both regions. The Discussion reports behavioral deficits in these mice, but does not establish the claimed association with an increased ratio. Page numbers were unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.89)

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  • Dp16 mice exhibit hyperactive IFN signaling and recapitulate many phenotypes of DS including developmental delays, cranial malformations, and cognitive deficits.

    “Notably, Dp16 mice exhibit hyperactive IFN signaling and recapitulate many phenotypes of DS including developmental delays, cranial malformations, and cognitive deficits.38,40,42,43,44,45”

    From Interferon signaling modulates Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease pathology in a mouse model (2025) · cites this paper as [40]

    The Results report upregulated interferon signaling in Dp(16)1/Yey brains, and the Discussion reports delays in late-acquired developmental milestones and adult learning and memory deficits. The source does not establish cranial malformations in these mice; its Summary of brain phenotypes by model instead reports no measurable embryonic brain-growth or forebrain-morphogenesis defects (page unavailable). (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • The Ts65Dn DS mouse model demonstrates embryonic and early postnatal gene expression, neuroanatomical, and developmental behavioral deficits like those observed in DS.

    “The Ts65Dn DS mouse model demonstrates embryonic and early postnatal gene expression, neuroanatomical, and developmental behavioral deficits like those observed in DS, whereas other DS models, including Dp1Yey and TcMAC21, do not have or have not yet been tested for these phenotypes (Aziz et al., 2018; Goodliffe et al., 2016).”

    From Sex-specific developmental alterations in DYRK1A expression in the brain of a Down syndrome mouse model (2024) · cites this paper as Aziz et al., 2018

    The Results report altered embryonic gene expression in Ts65Dn mice, while the Discussion describes embryonic brain abnormalities and perinatal developmental-milestone delays resembling aspects of Down syndrome. The paper reports gene-expression measurements in embryonic and adult brains, not early postnatal brains, so the early postnatal gene-expression part is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • Dp16 mice exhibit impaired motor coordination at 3 and 5 months of age relative to WT littermates, with a trend toward poorer performance at 7 and 9 months of age.

    “We next tested motor coordination using the accelerating rotarod test DS-AD mice (Data S4), and consistent with previous reports,38,40 we found that Dp16 mice exhibit impaired motor coordination at 3 and 5 months of age relative to WT littermates, with a trend toward poorer performance at 7 and 9 months of age (Figure 2A).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Hill J. M. Lim M. A. and Stone M. M. (2008). Developmental Milestones in the Newborn Mouse. Neuropeptide Techniques. In Neuropeptide Techniques (ed. I. Gozes), 131-149. Clifton: Humana Press.

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Authors
Aziz, N. M., Guedj, F., Pennings, J. L. A., Olmos-Serrano, J. L., Siegel, A., Haydar, T. F., & Bianchi, D. W.
Affiliations
  • Boston University (US)
  • National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
  • National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (NL)
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Aziz, Nadine M.
Venue
Disease Models & Mechanisms
Published
2018-01-01
Volume
11
Issue
6
ISSN
  • 1754-8403 (ISSN-L)
  • 1754-8411
OpenAlex
W2801858511
Cited by
118
References
135
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 2
FWCI
10.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Disease Models & Mechanisms (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
  • Rivm Repository (Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) (submittedVersion)
  • Rivm (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R01NS076503, R01HD058880)
  • Illumina (250-10396-12547000001)
  • Anna and John J. Sie Foundation (250-10488-40026002016)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Down syndrome and intellectual disability research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Williams Syndrome Research
Keywords
Down syndrome, Ts65Dn mouse model, mouse models of Down syndrome, brain development, neurogenesis, brain morphogenesis, physical growth, differentially expressed genes, gene expression, intellectual disability, motor behavior, model comparison
MeSH terms
Animals, Animals, Newborn, Behavior, Animal, Brain, Disease Models, Animal, Down Syndrome, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Hippocampus, Longevity, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Motor Activity, Neurons, Phenotype, Genome, Neurogenesis

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