Cell
Volume 174, Issue 4, 9 August 2018, Pages 1015-1030.e16
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Molecular Diversity and Specializations among the Cells of the Adult Mouse Brain

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.07.028Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • 690,000 individual cells analyzed from 9 regions of adult mouse brain

  • RNA expression patterns corresponding to cell types, states, and locations

  • Transcriptional programs supporting axonal function and neuronal specializations

  • Online data and analysis resource “DropViz”

Summary

The mammalian brain is composed of diverse, specialized cell populations. To systematically ascertain and learn from these cellular specializations, we used Drop-seq to profile RNA expression in 690,000 individual cells sampled from 9 regions of the adult mouse brain. We identified 565 transcriptionally distinct groups of cells using computational approaches developed to distinguish biological from technical signals. Cross-region analysis of these 565 cell populations revealed features of brain organization, including a gene-expression module for synthesizing axonal and presynaptic components, patterns in the co-deployment of voltage-gated ion channels, functional distinctions among the cells of the vasculature and specialization of glutamatergic neurons across cortical regions. Systematic neuronal classifications for two complex basal ganglia nuclei and the striatum revealed a rare population of spiny projection neurons. This adult mouse brain cell atlas, accessible through interactive online software (DropViz), serves as a reference for development, disease, and evolution.

Keywords

single-cell
brain
striatum
basal ganglia
transcriptional programs

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These authors contributed equally

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