Increased number of somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons in primary cultures of trisomy 16 mouse neocortex.

The gene encoding for pre-prosomatostatin is located on chromosome 16 of the mouse. To determine the effect of an extra copy of this gene on somatostatin expression in neurons, primary disaggregated cultures of neocortex prepared from 15 days gestational Trisomy 16 mice and their littermate euploid controls were subjected to immunocytochemical staining for somatostatin, neuropeptide Y and glutamic acid decarboxylase. The results demonstrate a selective and significant increase in the number of somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons.