Comparative single-cell transcriptomic analysis of primate brains highlights human-specific regulatory evolution.

ABSTRACT: Enhanced cognitive function in humans is hypothesized to result from cortical expansion and increased cellular diversity. However, the mechanisms that drive these phenotypic innovations remain poorly understood, in part because of the lack of high-quality cellular resolution data in human and non-human primates. Here, we take advantage of single-cell expression data from the middle temporal gyrus of five primates (human, chimp, gorilla, macaque and marmoset) to identify 57 homologous cell types and generate cell type-specific gene co-expression networks for comparative analysis. Although orthologue expression patterns are generally well conserved, we find 24% of genes with extensive differences between human and non-human primates (3,383 out of 14,131), which are also associated with multi

SUBMITTER: Suresh H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10627823 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature