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van de Haar LL, Riga D, Boer JE, Garritsen O, Adolfs Y, Sieburgh TE, van Dijk RE, Watanabe K, van Kronenburg NCH, Broekhoven MH, Posthuma D, Meye FJ, Basak O, Pasterkamp RJ. Molecular signatures and cellular diversity during mouse habenula development. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111029. [PMID: 35793630 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The habenula plays a key role in various motivated and pathological behaviors and is composed of molecularly distinct neuron subtypes. Despite progress in identifying mature habenula neuron subtypes, how these subtypes develop and organize into functional brain circuits remains largely unknown. Here, we performed single-cell transcriptional profiling of mouse habenular neurons at critical developmental stages, instructed by detailed three-dimensional anatomical data. Our data reveal cellular and molecular trajectories during embryonic and postnatal development, leading to different habenular subtypes. Further, based on this analysis, our work establishes the distinctive functional properties and projection target of a subtype of Cartpt+ habenula neurons. Finally, we show how comparison of single-cell transcriptional profiles and GWAS data links specific developing habenular subtypes to psychiatric disease. Together, our study begins to dissect the mechanisms underlying habenula neuron subtype-specific development and creates a framework for further interrogation of habenular development in normal and disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieke L van de Haar
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Danai Riga
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Juliska E Boer
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Oxana Garritsen
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Youri Adolfs
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas E Sieburgh
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Roland E van Dijk
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kyoko Watanabe
- Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, 1081 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nicky C H van Kronenburg
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mark H Broekhoven
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Danielle Posthuma
- Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, 1081 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Frank J Meye
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Onur Basak
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - R Jeroen Pasterkamp
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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Phillips RA, Tuscher JJ, Black SL, Andraka E, Fitzgerald ND, Ianov L, Day JJ. An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110616. [PMID: 35385745 PMCID: PMC10888206 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a complex brain region that is essential for reward function and frequently implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. While decades of research on VTA function have focused on dopamine neurons, recent evidence has identified critical roles for GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in reward processes. Additionally, although subsets of VTA neurons express genes involved in the synthesis and transport of multiple neurotransmitters, characterization of these combinatorial populations has largely relied on low-throughput methods. To comprehensively define the molecular architecture of the VTA, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on 21,600 cells from the rat VTA. Analysis of neuronal subclusters identifies selective markers for dopamine and combinatorial neurons, reveals expression profiles for receptors targeted by drugs of abuse, and demonstrates population-specific enrichment of gene sets linked to brain disorders. These results highlight the heterogeneity of the VTA and provide a resource for further exploration of VTA gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Phillips
- Department of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Jennifer J Tuscher
- Department of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Samantha L Black
- Department of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Emma Andraka
- Department of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - N Dalton Fitzgerald
- Department of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Lara Ianov
- Civitan International Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Jeremy J Day
- Department of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA; Civitan International Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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