Spatial and single-nucleus transcriptomics decoding the molecular landscape and cellular organization of avian optic tectum.
iScience, 2024/2/16;27(2):109009.
Liao K[1, 2], Xiang Y[2, 3], Huang F[1, 2], Huang M[4], Xu W[4], Lin Y[2, 5], Liao P[2, 6], Wang Z[4], Yang L[4], Tian X[4], Chen D[2, 5], Wang Z[4], Liu S[2, 5], Zhuang Z[2, 5]
Affiliations
PMID: 38333704DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109009
Impact factor: 6.107
Abstract
The avian optic tectum (OT) has been studied for its diverse functions, yet a comprehensive molecular landscape at the cellular level has been lacking. In this study, we applied spatial transcriptome sequencing and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) to explore the cellular organization and molecular characteristics of the avian OT from two species: Columba livia and Taeniopygia guttata. We identified precise layer structures and provided comprehensive layer-specific signatures of avian OT. Furthermore, we elucidated diverse functions in different layers, with the stratum griseum periventriculare (SGP) potentially playing a key role in advanced functions of OT, like fear response and associative learning. We characterized detailed neuronal subtypes and identified a population of FOXG1+ excitatory neurons, resembling those found in the mouse neocortex, potentially involved in neocortex-related functions and expansion of avian OT. These findings could contribute to our understanding of the architecture of OT, shedding light on visual perception and multifunctional association.
Keywords: Biological sciences; Molecular neuroscience; Neuroscience; Omics; Transcriptomics
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