1
|
Bilous M, Hérault L, Gabriel AA, Teleman M, Gfeller D. Building and analyzing metacells in single-cell genomics data. Mol Syst Biol 2024; 20:744-766. [PMID: 38811801 PMCID: PMC11220014 DOI: 10.1038/s44320-024-00045-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The advent of high-throughput single-cell genomics technologies has fundamentally transformed biological sciences. Currently, millions of cells from complex biological tissues can be phenotypically profiled across multiple modalities. The scaling of computational methods to analyze and visualize such data is a constant challenge, and tools need to be regularly updated, if not redesigned, to cope with ever-growing numbers of cells. Over the last few years, metacells have been introduced to reduce the size and complexity of single-cell genomics data while preserving biologically relevant information and improving interpretability. Here, we review recent studies that capitalize on the concept of metacells-and the many variants in nomenclature that have been used. We further outline how and when metacells should (or should not) be used to analyze single-cell genomics data and what should be considered when analyzing such data at the metacell level. To facilitate the exploration of metacells, we provide a comprehensive tutorial on the construction and analysis of metacells from single-cell RNA-seq data ( https://github.com/GfellerLab/MetacellAnalysisTutorial ) as well as a fully integrated pipeline to rapidly build, visualize and evaluate metacells with different methods ( https://github.com/GfellerLab/MetacellAnalysisToolkit ).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariia Bilous
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, University of Lausanne, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Cancer Center Leman (SCCL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Léonard Hérault
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, University of Lausanne, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Cancer Center Leman (SCCL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aurélie Ag Gabriel
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, University of Lausanne, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Cancer Center Leman (SCCL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matei Teleman
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, University of Lausanne, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Cancer Center Leman (SCCL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Gfeller
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, University of Lausanne, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Swiss Cancer Center Leman (SCCL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
O’Connell CJ, Brown RS, Peach TM, Traubert OD, Schwierling HC, Notorgiacomo GA, Robson MJ. Strain in the Midbrain: Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on the Central Serotonin System. Brain Sci 2024; 14:51. [PMID: 38248266 PMCID: PMC10813794 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a pervasive public health crisis that severely impacts the quality of life of affected individuals. Like peripheral forms of trauma, TBI results from extraordinarily heterogeneous environmental forces being imparted on the cranial space, resulting in heterogeneous disease pathologies. This has made therapies for TBI notoriously difficult to develop, and currently, there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies specifically for the acute or chronic treatment of TBI. TBI is associated with changes in cognition and can precipitate the onset of debilitating psychiatric disorders like major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Complicating these effects of TBI, FDA-approved pharmacotherapies utilized to treat these disorders often fail to reach the desired level of efficacy in the context of neurotrauma. Although a complicated association, decades of work have linked central serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission as being involved in the etiology of a myriad of neuropsychiatric disorders, including MDD and GAD. 5-HT is a biogenic monoamine neurotransmitter that is highly conserved across scales of biology. Though the majority of 5-HT is isolated to peripheral sites such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, 5-HT neurotransmission within the CNS exerts exquisite control over diverse biological functions, including sleep, appetite and respiration, while simultaneously establishing normal mood, perception, and attention. Although several key studies have begun to elucidate how various forms of neurotrauma impact central 5-HT neurotransmission, a full determination of precisely how TBI disrupts the highly regulated dynamics of 5-HT neuron function and/or 5-HT neurotransmission has yet to be conceptually or experimentally resolved. The purpose of the current review is, therefore, to integrate the disparate bodies of 5-HT and TBI research and synthesize insight into how new combinatorial research regarding 5-HT neurotransmission and TBI may offer an informed perspective into the nature of TBI-induced neuropsychiatric complications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. O’Connell
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, 231 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA; (C.J.O.); (R.S.B.); (T.M.P.)
| | - Ryan S. Brown
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, 231 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA; (C.J.O.); (R.S.B.); (T.M.P.)
| | - Taylor M. Peach
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, 231 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA; (C.J.O.); (R.S.B.); (T.M.P.)
| | - Owen D. Traubert
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA;
| | - Hana C. Schwierling
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, 231 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA; (C.J.O.); (R.S.B.); (T.M.P.)
| | | | - Matthew J. Robson
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, 231 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA; (C.J.O.); (R.S.B.); (T.M.P.)
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zu S, Li YE, Wang K, Armand EJ, Mamde S, Amaral ML, Wang Y, Chu A, Xie Y, Miller M, Xu J, Wang Z, Zhang K, Jia B, Hou X, Lin L, Yang Q, Lee S, Li B, Kuan S, Liu H, Zhou J, Pinto-Duarte A, Lucero J, Osteen J, Nunn M, Smith KA, Tasic B, Yao Z, Zeng H, Wang Z, Shang J, Behrens MM, Ecker JR, Wang A, Preissl S, Ren B. Single-cell analysis of chromatin accessibility in the adult mouse brain. Nature 2023; 624:378-389. [PMID: 38092917 PMCID: PMC10719105 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06824-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in single-cell technologies have led to the discovery of thousands of brain cell types; however, our understanding of the gene regulatory programs in these cell types is far from complete1-4. Here we report a comprehensive atlas of candidate cis-regulatory DNA elements (cCREs) in the adult mouse brain, generated by analysing chromatin accessibility in 2.3 million individual brain cells from 117 anatomical dissections. The atlas includes approximately 1 million cCREs and their chromatin accessibility across 1,482 distinct brain cell populations, adding over 446,000 cCREs to the most recent such annotation in the mouse genome. The mouse brain cCREs are moderately conserved in the human brain. The mouse-specific cCREs-specifically, those identified from a subset of cortical excitatory neurons-are strongly enriched for transposable elements, suggesting a potential role for transposable elements in the emergence of new regulatory programs and neuronal diversity. Finally, we infer the gene regulatory networks in over 260 subclasses of mouse brain cells and develop deep-learning models to predict the activities of gene regulatory elements in different brain cell types from the DNA sequence alone. Our results provide a resource for the analysis of cell-type-specific gene regulation programs in both mouse and human brains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Songpeng Zu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yang Eric Li
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery and Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kangli Wang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ethan J Armand
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sainath Mamde
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Amaral
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yuelai Wang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Andre Chu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yang Xie
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael Miller
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jie Xu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Zhaoning Wang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bojing Jia
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Xiaomeng Hou
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lin Lin
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Qian Yang
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Seoyeon Lee
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bin Li
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Samantha Kuan
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Hanqing Liu
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jingtian Zhou
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Jacinta Lucero
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Julia Osteen
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael Nunn
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Zizhen Yao
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Hongkui Zeng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zihan Wang
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jingbo Shang
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Joseph R Ecker
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Allen Wang
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sebastian Preissl
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bing Ren
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Awuah WA, Ahluwalia A, Ghosh S, Roy S, Tan JK, Adebusoye FT, Ferreira T, Bharadwaj HR, Shet V, Kundu M, Yee ALW, Abdul-Rahman T, Atallah O. The molecular landscape of neurological disorders: insights from single-cell RNA sequencing in neurology and neurosurgery. Eur J Med Res 2023; 28:529. [PMID: 37974227 PMCID: PMC10652629 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-023-01504-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell ribonucleic acid sequencing (scRNA-seq) has emerged as a transformative technology in neurological and neurosurgical research, revolutionising our comprehension of complex neurological disorders. In brain tumours, scRNA-seq has provided valuable insights into cancer heterogeneity, the tumour microenvironment, treatment resistance, and invasion patterns. It has also elucidated the brain tri-lineage cancer hierarchy and addressed limitations of current models. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been molecularly subtyped, dysregulated pathways have been identified, and potential therapeutic targets have been revealed using scRNA-seq. In epilepsy, scRNA-seq has explored the cellular and molecular heterogeneity underlying the condition, uncovering unique glial subpopulations and dysregulation of the immune system. ScRNA-seq has characterised distinct cellular constituents and responses to spinal cord injury in spinal cord diseases, as well as provided molecular signatures of various cell types and identified interactions involved in vascular remodelling. Furthermore, scRNA-seq has shed light on the molecular complexities of cerebrovascular diseases, such as stroke, providing insights into specific genes, cell-specific expression patterns, and potential therapeutic interventions. This review highlights the potential of scRNA-seq in guiding precision medicine approaches, identifying clinical biomarkers, and facilitating therapeutic discovery. However, challenges related to data analysis, standardisation, sample acquisition, scalability, and cost-effectiveness need to be addressed. Despite these challenges, scRNA-seq has the potential to transform clinical practice in neurological and neurosurgical research by providing personalised insights and improving patient outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wireko Andrew Awuah
- Faculty of Medicine, Sumy State University, Zamonstanksya 7, Sumy, 40007, Ukraine
| | | | - Shankaneel Ghosh
- Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Sakshi Roy
- School of Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | | | | | - Tomas Ferreira
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Vallabh Shet
- Faculty of Medicine, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Mrinmoy Kundu
- Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, India
| | | | - Toufik Abdul-Rahman
- Faculty of Medicine, Sumy State University, Zamonstanksya 7, Sumy, 40007, Ukraine
| | - Oday Atallah
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Krienen FM, Levandowski KM, Zaniewski H, del Rosario RC, Schroeder ME, Goldman M, Wienisch M, Lutservitz A, Beja-Glasser VF, Chen C, Zhang Q, Chan KY, Li KX, Sharma J, McCormack D, Shin TW, Harrahill A, Nyase E, Mudhar G, Mauermann A, Wysoker A, Nemesh J, Kashin S, Vergara J, Chelini G, Dimidschstein J, Berretta S, Deverman BE, Boyden E, McCarroll SA, Feng G. A marmoset brain cell census reveals regional specialization of cellular identities. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadk3986. [PMID: 37824615 PMCID: PMC10569717 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk3986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian brain is composed of many brain structures, each with its own ontogenetic and developmental history. We used single-nucleus RNA sequencing to sample over 2.4 million brain cells across 18 locations in the common marmoset, a New World monkey primed for genetic engineering, and examined gene expression patterns of cell types within and across brain structures. The adult transcriptomic identity of most neuronal types is shaped more by developmental origin than by neurotransmitter signaling repertoire. Quantitative mapping of GABAergic types with single-molecule FISH (smFISH) reveals that interneurons in the striatum and neocortex follow distinct spatial principles, and that lateral prefrontal and other higher-order cortical association areas are distinguished by high proportions of VIP+ neurons. We use cell type-specific enhancers to drive AAV-GFP and reconstruct the morphologies of molecularly resolved interneuron types in neocortex and striatum. Our analyses highlight how lineage, local context, and functional class contribute to the transcriptional identity and biodistribution of primate brain cell types.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fenna M. Krienen
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Kirsten M. Levandowski
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Heather Zaniewski
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ricardo C.H. del Rosario
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Margaret E. Schroeder
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Melissa Goldman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Martin Wienisch
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Alyssa Lutservitz
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Victoria F. Beja-Glasser
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Cindy Chen
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Qiangge Zhang
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ken Y. Chan
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Katelyn X. Li
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jitendra Sharma
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Dana McCormack
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Tay Won Shin
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Andrew Harrahill
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eric Nyase
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Gagandeep Mudhar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Abigail Mauermann
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Alec Wysoker
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - James Nemesh
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Seva Kashin
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Josselyn Vergara
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Gabriele Chelini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Piazza della Manifattura n.1, Rovereto (TN) 38068, Italy
| | - Jordane Dimidschstein
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sabina Berretta
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Benjamin E. Deverman
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Ed Boyden
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Steven A. McCarroll
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Guoping Feng
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hochbaum DR, Dubinsky AC, Farnsworth HC, Hulshof L, Kleinberg G, Urke A, Wang W, Hakim R, Robertson K, Park C, Solberg A, Yang Y, Baynard C, Nadaf NM, Beron CC, Girasole AE, Chantranupong L, Cortopassi M, Prouty S, Geistlinger L, Banks A, Scanlan T, Greenberg ME, Boulting GL, Macosko EZ, Sabatini BL. Thyroid hormone rewires cortical circuits to coordinate body-wide metabolism and exploratory drive. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.10.552874. [PMID: 37609206 PMCID: PMC10441422 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.10.552874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Animals adapt to varying environmental conditions by modifying the function of their internal organs, including the brain. To be adaptive, alterations in behavior must be coordinated with the functional state of organs throughout the body. Here we find that thyroid hormone- a prominent regulator of metabolism in many peripheral organs- activates cell-type specific transcriptional programs in anterior regions of cortex of adult mice via direct activation of thyroid hormone receptors. These programs are enriched for axon-guidance genes in glutamatergic projection neurons, synaptic regulators across both astrocytes and neurons, and pro-myelination factors in oligodendrocytes, suggesting widespread remodeling of cortical circuits. Indeed, whole-cell electrophysiology recordings revealed that thyroid hormone induces local transcriptional programs that rewire cortical neural circuits via pre-synaptic mechanisms, resulting in increased excitatory drive with a concomitant sensitization of recruited inhibition. We find that thyroid hormone bidirectionally regulates innate exploratory behaviors and that the transcriptionally mediated circuit changes in anterior cortex causally promote exploratory decision-making. Thus, thyroid hormone acts directly on adult cerebral cortex to coordinate exploratory behaviors with whole-body metabolic state.
Collapse
|
7
|
|
8
|
Jin K, Yao Z, van Velthoven CTJ, Kaplan ES, Glattfelder K, Barlow ST, Boyer G, Carey D, Casper T, Chakka AB, Chakrabarty R, Clark M, Departee M, Desierto M, Gary A, Gloe J, Goldy J, Guilford N, Guzman J, Hirschstein D, Lee C, Liang E, Pham T, Reding M, Ronellenfitch K, Ruiz A, Sevigny J, Shapovalova N, Shulga L, Sulc J, Torkelson A, Tung H, Levi B, Sunkin SM, Dee N, Esposito L, Smith K, Tasic B, Zeng H. Cell-type specific molecular signatures of aging revealed in a brain-wide transcriptomic cell-type atlas. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.26.550355. [PMID: 38168182 PMCID: PMC10760145 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.26.550355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Biological aging can be defined as a gradual loss of homeostasis across various aspects of molecular and cellular function. Aging is a complex and dynamic process which influences distinct cell types in a myriad of ways. The cellular architecture of the mammalian brain is heterogeneous and diverse, making it challenging to identify precise areas and cell types of the brain that are more susceptible to aging than others. Here, we present a high-resolution single-cell RNA sequencing dataset containing ~1.2 million high-quality single-cell transcriptomic profiles of brain cells from young adult and aged mice across both sexes, including areas spanning the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. We find age-associated gene expression signatures across nearly all 130+ neuronal and non-neuronal cell subclasses we identified. We detect the greatest gene expression changes in non-neuronal cell types, suggesting that different cell types in the brain vary in their susceptibility to aging. We identify specific, age-enriched clusters within specific glial, vascular, and immune cell types from both cortical and subcortical regions of the brain, and specific gene expression changes associated with cell senescence, inflammation, decrease in new myelination, and decreased vasculature integrity. We also identify genes with expression changes across multiple cell subclasses, pointing to certain mechanisms of aging that may occur across wide regions or broad cell types of the brain. Finally, we discover the greatest gene expression changes in cell types localized to the third ventricle of the hypothalamus, including tanycytes, ependymal cells, and Tbx3+ neurons found in the arcuate nucleus that are part of the neuronal circuits regulating food intake and energy homeostasis. These findings suggest that the area surrounding the third ventricle in the hypothalamus may be a hub for aging in the mouse brain. Overall, we reveal a dynamic landscape of cell-type-specific transcriptomic changes in the brain associated with normal aging that will serve as a foundation for the investigation of functional changes in the aging process and the interaction of aging and diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Jin
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zizhen Yao
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Daniel Carey
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Max Departee
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Amanda Gary
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jessica Gloe
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jeff Goldy
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Changkyu Lee
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Josh Sevigny
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Josef Sulc
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Herman Tung
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Boaz Levi
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Nick Dee
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Hongkui Zeng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Frazel PW, Fricano-Kugler K, May-Zhang AA, O'Dea MR, Prakash P, Desmet NM, Lee H, Meltzer RH, Fontanez KM, Hettige P, Agam Y, Lithwick-Yanai G, Lipson D, Luikart BW, Dasen JD, Liddelow SA. Single-cell analysis of the nervous system at small and large scales with instant partitions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.14.549051. [PMID: 37503160 PMCID: PMC10370061 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.14.549051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing is a new frontier across all biology, particularly in neuroscience. While powerful for answering numerous neuroscience questions, limitations in sample input size, and initial capital outlay can exclude some researchers from its application. Here, we tested a recently introduced method for scRNAseq across diverse scales and neuroscience experiments. We benchmarked against a major current scRNAseq technology and found that PIPseq performed similarly, in line with earlier benchmarking data. Across dozens of samples, PIPseq recovered many brain cell types at small and large scales (1,000-100,000 cells/sample) and was able to detect differentially expressed genes in an inflammation paradigm. Similarly, PIPseq could detect expected and new differentially expressed genes in a brain single cell suspension from a knockout mouse model; it could also detect rare, virally-la-belled cells following lentiviral targeting and gene knockdown. Finally, we used PIPseq to investigate gene expression in a nontraditional model species, the little skate (Leucoraja erinacea). In total, PIPSeq was able to detect single-cell gene expression changes across models and species, with an added benefit of large scale capture and sequencing of each sample.
Collapse
|
10
|
Schlegel P, Yin Y, Bates AS, Dorkenwald S, Eichler K, Brooks P, Han DS, Gkantia M, Dos Santos M, Munnelly EJ, Badalamente G, Capdevila LS, Sane VA, Pleijzier MW, Tamimi IFM, Dunne CR, Salgarella I, Javier A, Fang S, Perlman E, Kazimiers T, Jagannathan SR, Matsliah A, Sterling AR, Yu SC, McKellar CE, Costa M, Seung HS, Murthy M, Hartenstein V, Bock DD, Jefferis GSXE. Whole-brain annotation and multi-connectome cell typing quantifies circuit stereotypy in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.27.546055. [PMID: 37425808 PMCID: PMC10327018 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.27.546055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster combines surprisingly sophisticated behaviour with a highly tractable nervous system. A large part of the fly's success as a model organism in modern neuroscience stems from the concentration of collaboratively generated molecular genetic and digital resources. As presented in our FlyWire companion paper 1 , this now includes the first full brain connectome of an adult animal. Here we report the systematic and hierarchical annotation of this ~130,000-neuron connectome including neuronal classes, cell types and developmental units (hemilineages). This enables any researcher to navigate this huge dataset and find systems and neurons of interest, linked to the literature through the Virtual Fly Brain database 2 . Crucially, this resource includes 4,552 cell types. 3,094 are rigorous consensus validations of cell types previously proposed in the hemibrain connectome 3 . In addition, we propose 1,458 new cell types, arising mostly from the fact that the FlyWire connectome spans the whole brain, whereas the hemibrain derives from a subvolume. Comparison of FlyWire and the hemibrain showed that cell type counts and strong connections were largely stable, but connection weights were surprisingly variable within and across animals. Further analysis defined simple heuristics for connectome interpretation: connections stronger than 10 unitary synapses or providing >1% of the input to a target cell are highly conserved. Some cell types showed increased variability across connectomes: the most common cell type in the mushroom body, required for learning and memory, is almost twice as numerous in FlyWire as the hemibrain. We find evidence for functional homeostasis through adjustments of the absolute amount of excitatory input while maintaining the excitation-inhibition ratio. Finally, and surprisingly, about one third of the cell types proposed in the hemibrain connectome could not yet be reliably identified in the FlyWire connectome. We therefore suggest that cell types should be defined to be robust to inter-individual variation, namely as groups of cells that are quantitatively more similar to cells in a different brain than to any other cell in the same brain. Joint analysis of the FlyWire and hemibrain connectomes demonstrates the viability and utility of this new definition. Our work defines a consensus cell type atlas for the fly brain and provides both an intellectual framework and open source toolchain for brain-scale comparative connectomics.
Collapse
|
11
|
Hiramoto T, Sumiyoshi A, Kato R, Yamauchi T, Kang G, Matsumura B, Stevens LJ, Ryoke R, Nonaka H, Machida A, Nomoto K, Mogi K, Kikusui T, Kawashima R, Hiroi N. Structural alterations in the amygdala and impaired social incentive learning in a mouse model of a genetic variant associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.14.545013. [PMID: 37398198 PMCID: PMC10312713 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.14.545013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Copy number variants (CNVs) are robustly associated with psychiatric disorders and their dimensions and changes in brain structures and behavior. However, as CNVs contain many genes, the precise gene-phenotype relationship remains unclear. Although various volumetric alterations in the brains of 22q11.2 CNV carriers have been identified in humans and mouse models, it is unknown how the genes in the 22q11.2 region individually contribute to structural alterations and associated mental illnesses and their dimensions. Our previous studies have identified Tbx1 , a T-box family transcription factor encoded in 22q11.2 CNV, as a driver gene for social interaction and communication, spatial and working memory, and cognitive flexibility. However, it remains unclear how TBX1 impacts the volumes of various brain regions and their functionally linked behavioral dimensions. In this study, we used volumetric magnetic resonance imaging analysis to comprehensively evaluate brain region volumes in congenic Tbx1 heterozygous mice. Our data show that the volumes of anterior and posterior portions of the amygdaloid complex and its surrounding cortical regions were reduced in Tbx1 heterozygous mice. Moreover, we examined the behavioral consequences of an altered volume of the amygdala. Tbx1 heterozygous mice were impaired for their ability to detect the incentive value of a social partner in a task that depends on the amygdala. Our findings identify the structural basis for a specific social dimension associated with loss-of-function variants of TBX1 and 22q11.2 CNV.
Collapse
|
12
|
Liu H, Zeng Q, Zhou J, Bartlett A, Wang BA, Berube P, Tian W, Kenworthy M, Altshul J, Nery JR, Chen H, Castanon RG, Zu S, Li YE, Lucero J, Osteen JK, Pinto-Duarte A, Lee J, Rink J, Cho S, Emerson N, Nunn M, O'Connor C, Yao Z, Smith KA, Tasic B, Zeng H, Luo C, Dixon JR, Ren B, Behrens MM, Ecker JR. Single-cell DNA Methylome and 3D Multi-omic Atlas of the Adult Mouse Brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.16.536509. [PMID: 37131654 PMCID: PMC10153407 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.16.536509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Cytosine DNA methylation is essential in brain development and has been implicated in various neurological disorders. A comprehensive understanding of DNA methylation diversity across the entire brain in the context of the brain's 3D spatial organization is essential for building a complete molecular atlas of brain cell types and understanding their gene regulatory landscapes. To this end, we employed optimized single-nucleus methylome (snmC-seq3) and multi-omic (snm3C-seq1) sequencing technologies to generate 301,626 methylomes and 176,003 chromatin conformation/methylome joint profiles from 117 dissected regions throughout the adult mouse brain. Using iterative clustering and integrating with companion whole-brain transcriptome and chromatin accessibility datasets, we constructed a methylation-based cell type taxonomy that contains 4,673 cell groups and 261 cross-modality-annotated subclasses. We identified millions of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) across the genome, representing potential gene regulation elements. Notably, we observed spatial cytosine methylation patterns on both genes and regulatory elements in cell types within and across brain regions. Brain-wide multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH2) data validated the association of this spatial epigenetic diversity with transcription and allowed the mapping of the DNA methylation and topology information into anatomical structures more precisely than our dissections. Furthermore, multi-scale chromatin conformation diversities occur in important neuronal genes, highly associated with DNA methylation and transcription changes. Brain-wide cell type comparison allowed us to build a regulatory model for each gene, linking transcription factors, DMRs, chromatin contacts, and downstream genes to establish regulatory networks. Finally, intragenic DNA methylation and chromatin conformation patterns predicted alternative gene isoform expression observed in a companion whole-brain SMART-seq3 dataset. Our study establishes the first brain-wide, single-cell resolution DNA methylome and 3D multi-omic atlas, providing an unparalleled resource for comprehending the mouse brain's cellular-spatial and regulatory genome diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanqing Liu
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Qiurui Zeng
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jingtian Zhou
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Anna Bartlett
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bang-An Wang
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Peter Berube
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Wei Tian
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Mia Kenworthy
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jordan Altshul
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joseph R Nery
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Huaming Chen
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rosa G Castanon
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Songpeng Zu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yang Eric Li
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jacinta Lucero
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Julia K Osteen
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Antonio Pinto-Duarte
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jasper Lee
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jon Rink
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Silvia Cho
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nora Emerson
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael Nunn
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn O'Connor
- Flow Cytometry Core Facility, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Zizhen Yao
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Hongkui Zeng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Chongyuan Luo
- Department of Human Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jesse R Dixon
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bing Ren
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - M Margarita Behrens
- Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joseph R Ecker
- Genomic Analysis Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|