美国范德比尔特大学医学院David M. Miller、美国哥伦比亚大学Oliver Hobert和美国耶鲁大学医学院Marc Hammarlund研究组合作取得进展。他们绘制了整个神经系统的分子拓扑图。这一研究成果于2021年7月7日发表在国际顶尖学术期刊《细胞》杂志上。

他们绘制了线虫神经系统的所有 302 个神经元的基因表达谱，与其解剖结构和接线图的单细胞分辨率相匹配。他们的结果表明，单种神经元可以单独通过特定基因家族的组合表达来识别。例如，每种神经元都表达了约 23 个神经肽基因和约 36 个神经肽受体的不同代码，描绘了一个复杂而广泛的“无线”信号网络。为了证明这个综合基因表达目录的效用，他们使用计算方法来 (1) 识别神经元特异性基因表达的顺式调节元件和 (2) 揭示在过程放置和突触特异性中具有潜在作用的粘附蛋白。

研究人员表明，表达数据可从 https://cengen.org 获得，并且可以在 Web 应用程序 CengenApp 中查询。他们预计这个神经元特异性基因表达目录，将促进对定义整个秀丽隐杆线虫神经系统的解剖结构、连接性和功能的潜在机制的研究。

附：英文原文

Title: Molecular topography of an entire nervous system

Author: Seth R. Taylor, Gabriel Santpere, Alexis Weinreb, Alec Barrett, Molly B. Reilly, Chuan Xu, Erdem Varol, Panos Oikonomou, Lori Glenwinkel, Rebecca McWhirter, Abigail Poff, Manasa Basavaraju, Ibnul Rafi, Eviatar Yemini, Steven J. Cook, Alexander Abrams, Berta Vidal, Cyril Cros, Saeed Tavazoie, Nenad Sestan, Marc Hammarlund, Oliver Hobert, David M. Miller

Issue&Volume: 2021-07-07

Abstract: We have produced gene expression profiles of all 302 neurons of the C. elegans nervous system that match the single-cell resolution of its anatomy and wiring diagram.Our results suggest that individual neuron classes can be solely identified by combinatorialexpression of specific gene families. For example, each neuron class expresses distinctcodes of ～23 neuropeptide genes and ～36 neuropeptide receptors, delineating a complexand expansive “wireless” signaling network. To demonstrate the utility of this comprehensivegene expression catalog, we used computational approaches to (1) identify cis-regulatory elements for neuron-specific gene expression and (2) reveal adhesion proteinswith potential roles in process placement and synaptic specificity. Our expressiondata are available at https://cengen.org and can be interrogated at the web application CengenApp. We expect that this neuron-specificdirectory of gene expression will spur investigations of underlying mechanisms thatdefine anatomy, connectivity, and function throughout the C. elegans nervous system.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.023

Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(21)00758-3