Aníbal-Martínez Mar, Puche-Aroca Lorenzo, Pérez-Montoyo Elena, Pumo Gabriele, Madrigal M Pilar, Rodríguez-Malmierca Luis M, Martini Francisco J, Rijli Filippo M, López-Bendito Guillermina
Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (UMH-CSIC), San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Fabrikstrasse 24, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
Nat Commun. 2025 Mar 6;16(1):1955. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-57052-w.
Precise mapping of peripheral inputs onto cortical areas is essential for accurate sensory processing. In the mouse primary somatosensory cortex, mystacial whiskers correspond to large, well-defined barrels, while upper lip whiskers form smaller, less distinct barrels. These differences are traditionally attributed to variations in whisker input type and receptor density, but prenatal activity and transcriptional programs also impact somatosensory map development independently of sensory experience. Here, we demonstrate that prenatal ablation of mystacial whiskers leads to a remapping of cortical territories, enhancing the functional and anatomical definition of upper lip whisker barrels. This reorganization occurs without altering peripheral receptor types. Instead, thalamic neurons that receive upper lip inputs adopt a mystacial-like transcriptional profile. Our findings unveil a regulated prenatal mechanism in the thalamus that ensures sufficient cortical barrel size and spatial resolution for sensory processing, irrespective of peripheral receptor type or density, highlighting a critical developmental process in sensory mapping.
将外周输入精确映射到皮质区域对于准确的感觉处理至关重要。在小鼠初级体感皮层中，触须对应于大的、界限清晰的桶状结构，而上唇触须形成较小的、不太明显的桶状结构。传统上，这些差异归因于触须输入类型和受体密度的变化，但产前活动和转录程序也独立于感觉经验影响体感图谱的发育。在这里，我们证明产前切除触须会导致皮质区域的重新映射，增强上唇触须桶状结构的功能和解剖学定义。这种重组在不改变外周受体类型的情况下发生。相反，接收上唇输入的丘脑神经元采用了类似触须的转录谱。我们的研究结果揭示了丘脑中一种受调控的产前机制，该机制确保了足够的皮质桶状结构大小和空间分辨率用于感觉处理，而与外周受体类型或密度无关，突出了感觉映射中的一个关键发育过程。
