Co-Conservation of Synaptic Gene Expression and Circuitry in Collicular Neurons.

ABSTRACT: The superior colliculus (SC), a midbrain sensorimotor hub, is anatomically and functionally similar across vertebrates, but how its cell types have evolved is unclear. Using single-nucleus transcriptomics, we compared the SC's molecular and cellular organization in mice, tree shrews, and humans. Despite over 96 million years of evolutionary divergence, we identified ~30 consensus neuronal subtypes, including Cbln2+ neurons that form the SC-pulvinar circuit in mice and tree shrews. Synapse-related genes were among the most conserved, unlike neocortex, suggesting co-conservation of synaptic genes and circuitry. In contrast, cilia-related genes diverged significantly across species, highlighting the potential importance of the neuronal primary cilium in SC evolution. Additionally, we i

SUBMITTER: Liu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11785205 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature