Unbiased Classification of Sensory Neuron Types by Large-scale Single-cell RNA Sequencing

Overview

Journal Nat Neurosci

Date 2014 Nov 25

PMID 25420068

Citations 1021

Authors

Dmitry Usoskin

Alessandro Furlan

Saiful Islam

Hind Abdo

Peter Lonnerberg

Daohua Lou

Jens Hjerling-Leffler

Jesper Haeggstrom

Olga Kharchenko

Peter V Kharchenko

Sten Linnarsson

Patrik Ernfors

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The primary sensory system requires the integrated function of multiple cell types, although its full complexity remains unclear. We used comprehensive transcriptome analysis of 622 single mouse neurons to classify them in an unbiased manner, independent of any a priori knowledge of sensory subtypes. Our results reveal eleven types: three distinct low-threshold mechanoreceptive neurons, two proprioceptive, and six principal types of thermosensitive, itch sensitive, type C low-threshold mechanosensitive and nociceptive neurons with markedly different molecular and operational properties. Confirming previously anticipated major neuronal types, our results also classify and provide markers for new, functionally distinct subtypes. For example, our results suggest that itching during inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis is linked to a distinct itch-generating type. We demonstrate single-cell RNA-seq as an effective strategy for dissecting sensory responsive cells into distinct neuronal types. The resulting catalog illustrates the diversity of sensory types and the cellular complexity underlying somatic sensation.

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