Medknow Publications on behalf of Indian Society of Human Genetics
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is a condition in which the genes on chromosome 21
occur in three copies. This is supposed to influence the growth in the
tissues of the body and this could lead to a decreased mitotic index.
In view of this, the present investigation was carried out using
peripheral lymphocyte culture to find out whether there is a change in
mitotic index in DS patients. Mitotic index in male and female patients
was reduced to an average of 3.64 and 3.82 respectively. Thus, the
index could be an indicator of the reduced immunological status of the
individual with DS
