Single-Cell RNA-Seq Reveals Hypothalamic Cell Diversity

Publication date: 28 March 2017
Source:Cell Reports, Volume 18, Issue 13
Author(s): Renchao Chen, Xiaoji Wu, Lan Jiang, Yi Zhang
The hypothalamus is one of the most complex brain structures involved in homeostatic regulation. Defining cell composition and identifying cell-type-specific transcriptional features of the hypothalamus is essential for understanding its functions and related disorders. Here, we report single-cell RNA sequencing results of adult mouse hypothalamus, which defines 11 non-neuronal and 34 neuronal cell clusters with distinct transcriptional signatures. Analyses of cell-type-specific transcriptomes reveal gene expression dynamics underlying oligodendrocyte differentiation and tanycyte subtypes. Additionally, data analysis provides a comprehensive view of neuropeptide expression across hypothalamic neuronal subtypes and uncover Crabp1⁺ and Pax6⁺ neuronal populations in specific hypothalamic sub-regions. Furthermore, we found food deprivation exhibited differential transcriptional effects among the different neuronal subtypes, suggesting functional specification of various neuronal subtypes. Thus, the work provides a comprehensive transcriptional perspective of adult hypothalamus, which serves as a valuable resource for dissecting cell-type-specific functions of this complex brain region.

Graphical abstract

Teaser

Chen et al. perform single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of the adult mouse hypothalamus to probe the rich cell diversity of this complex brain region. They also identify neuronal subtype-specific transcriptional responses to food deprivation.


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