中科院脑科学与智能技术卓越中心神经科学研究所严军课题组揭示了小鼠上视交叉上核（SCN）基因表达的时空单细胞分析结果。2020年2月17日，《自然—神经科学》在线发表了这一研究成果。

课题组使用单细胞RNA测序来鉴定小鼠SCN中的基本细胞类型，并表征其昼夜节律和光诱导的基因表达模式。他们确定了八种主要的细胞类型，每种类型都显示出昼夜节律基因表达的特定模式。五种SCN神经元亚型，每种都有特定的标记组合，它们的空间分布，昼夜节律和光反应性不同。通过在单细胞分辨率下对小鼠SCN进行完整的三维重建，他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图集。此外，他们观察到SCN神经元亚型之间的异质昼夜节律基因表达。SCN中这种基因调控的时空模式可能在昼夜节律起搏点中起重要作用。

据介绍，哺乳动物昼夜节律的行为由腹下丘脑SCN协调，但SCN细胞类型的数目及其功能作用尚不清楚。

附：英文原文

Title: Spatiotemporal single-cell analysis of gene expression in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus

Author: Shaoang Wen, Danyi Ma, Meng Zhao, Lucheng Xie, Qingqin Wu, Lingfeng Gou, Chuanzhen Zhu, Yuqi Fan, Haifang Wang, Jun Yan

Issue&Volume: 2020-02-17

Abstract: 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.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0586-x

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-0586-x