Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Nat Neurosci. 2020 Mar;23(3):456-467. doi: 10.1038/s41593-020-0586-x. Epub 2020 Feb 17.
Mammalian circadian behaviors are orchestrated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the ventral hypothalamus, but the number of SCN cell types and their functional roles remain unclear. We have used single-cell RNA-sequencing to identify the basic cell types in the mouse SCN and to characterize their circadian and light-induced gene expression patterns. We identified eight major cell types, with each type displaying a specific pattern of circadian gene expression. Five SCN neuronal subtypes, each with specific combinations of markers, differ in their spatial distribution, circadian rhythmicity and light responsiveness. Through a complete three-dimensional reconstruction of the mouse SCN at single-cell resolution, we obtained a standardized SCN atlas containing the spatial distribution of these subtypes and gene expression. Furthermore, we observed heterogeneous circadian gene expression between SCN neuron subtypes. Such a spatiotemporal pattern of gene regulation within the SCN may have an important function in the circadian pacemaker.
哺乳动物的昼夜节律行为由下丘脑腹侧的视交叉上核（SCN）协调，但 SCN 细胞类型的数量及其功能作用仍不清楚。我们使用单细胞 RNA 测序来鉴定小鼠 SCN 中的基本细胞类型，并描述它们的昼夜节律和光诱导基因表达模式。我们鉴定了 8 种主要的细胞类型，每种类型都显示出特定的昼夜节律基因表达模式。5 种 SCN 神经元亚型，每种亚型都有特定的标记组合，在空间分布、昼夜节律性和光反应性方面存在差异。通过对小鼠 SCN 进行单细胞分辨率的完整三维重建，我们获得了包含这些亚型的空间分布和基因表达的标准化 SCN 图谱。此外，我们观察到 SCN 神经元亚型之间存在异质性的昼夜节律基因表达。这种 SCN 内基因调控的时空模式可能在昼夜节律起搏器中具有重要功能。
