小鼠促性腺激素释放激素神经元的转录组分析揭示了与人类生殖和不孕相关的发育轨迹。
Transcriptomic profiling of murine GnRH neurons reveals developmental trajectories linked to human reproduction and infertility.
作者信息
Zouaghi Yassine, Alpern Daniel, Gardeux Vincent, Russeil Julie, Deplancke Bart, Santoni Federico, Pitteloud Nelly, Messina Andrea
机构信息
Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
出版信息
Theranostics. 2025 Feb 26;15(8):3673-3692. doi: 10.7150/thno.91873. eCollection 2025.
Neurons producing Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) are essential for human reproduction and have to migrate from nose to brain during prenatal life. Impaired GnRH neuron biology results in alterations of the reproductive axis, including delayed puberty and infertility, with considerable effects on quality of life and metabolic health. Although various genes have been implicated, the molecular causes of these conditions remain elusive, with most patients lacking a genetic diagnosis. GnRH neurons and non-GnRH cells were FACS-isolated from mouse embryo microdissections to perform high-resolution transcriptomic profiling during mouse embryonic development. We analyzed our dataset to reveal GnRH neuron molecular identity, gene expression dynamics, and cell-to-cell communication. The spatial context of candidate genes was validated using hybridization and spatial transcriptomic analysis. The possible links with human reproduction in health and disease were explored using enrichment analysis on GWAS data and analyzing the genetic burden of patients with congenital GnRH deficiency. GnRH neurons undergo a profound transcriptional shift as they migrate from the nose to the brain and display expression trajectories associating with distinct biological processes, including cell migration, neuronal projections, and synapse formation. We revealed a timely and spatially restricted modulation of signaling pathways involving known and novel molecules, including Semaphorins and Neurexins, respectively. A particular set of genes, whose expression in GnRH neurons timely rises in late developmental stages, showed a strong association with GWAS genes linked with human reproductive onset. Finally, some of the identified trajectories harbor a diagnostic potential for congenital hypogonadism. This is supported by genetic analysis in a large cohort of patients affected by congenital GnRH deficiency, revealing a high mutation burden in patients compared to healthy controls. We charted the landscape of gene expression dynamics underlying murine GnRH neuron embryonic development. Our study highlights new genes in GnRH neuron development and provides novel insights linking those genes with human reproduction.
产生促性腺激素释放激素(GnRH)的神经元对人类生殖至关重要,并且在产前生活中必须从鼻子迁移到大脑。GnRH神经元生物学功能受损会导致生殖轴的改变,包括青春期延迟和不孕,对生活质量和代谢健康产生重大影响。尽管已经涉及多种基因,但这些病症的分子原因仍然难以捉摸,大多数患者缺乏基因诊断。从小鼠胚胎显微解剖中通过荧光激活细胞分选(FACS)分离出GnRH神经元和非GnRH细胞,以在小鼠胚胎发育过程中进行高分辨率转录组分析。我们分析了我们的数据集,以揭示GnRH神经元的分子特征、基因表达动态以及细胞间通讯。使用杂交和空间转录组分析验证了候选基因的空间背景。通过对全基因组关联研究(GWAS)数据进行富集分析并分析先天性GnRH缺乏患者的遗传负担,探索了与人类健康和疾病生殖的可能联系。GnRH神经元在从鼻子迁移到大脑的过程中经历了深刻的转录转变,并显示出与不同生物学过程相关的表达轨迹,包括细胞迁移、神经元投射和突触形成。我们分别揭示了涉及已知和新分子(包括信号素和神经连接蛋白)的信号通路的及时和空间受限调节。一组特定的基因,其在GnRH神经元中的表达在发育后期适时升高,与与人类生殖起始相关的GWAS基因显示出强烈关联。最后,一些确定的轨迹对先天性性腺功能减退具有诊断潜力。这在一大群受先天性GnRH缺乏影响的患者的遗传分析中得到支持,揭示了与健康对照相比患者的高突变负担。我们描绘了小鼠GnRH神经元胚胎发育背后的基因表达动态图景。我们的研究突出了GnRH神经元发育中的新基因,并提供了将这些基因与人类生殖联系起来的新见解。