Dataset Information

Molecular and spatial profiling of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus

ABSTRACT: The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is known to regulate various cognitive and behavioral processes. However, while functional diversity among PVT circuits has often been linked to cellular differences, the molecular identity and spatial distribution of PVT cell types remains unclear. To address this gap, here we used single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and identified five molecularly distinct PVT neuronal subtypes. Additionally, multiplex fluorescent in situ hybridization of top marker genes revealed that PVT subtypes are organized by a combination of previously unidentified molecular gradients. Lastly, comparing our dataset with a recently published single-cell sequencing atlas of thalamus yielded novel insight into the PVT’s connectivity with cortex, including unexpected innervation of auditory and visual areas. This comparison also revealed that our data contains a largely non-overlapping transcriptomic map of multiple midline thalamic nuclei. Collectively, our findings uncover previously unknown features of the molecular diversity and anatomical organization of the PVT and provide a valuable resource for future investigations.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE208707 | GEO | 2023/03/06

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Conscious awareness of breathing requires the activation of higher brain centers. The sensation of breathing is believed to be a neural gating process. The thalamus provides the brain structure that could be responsible for the gating of respiratory sensory information to the cortex. It was reasoned that if the thalamus is the neural gate, then tracheal obstructions will modulate the gene expression profile of the thalamus. Anesthetized rats were instrumented with an inflatable cuff sutured around the trachea. The cuff was inflated to obstruct 2-4 breaths, then deflated for a minimum of 15 breaths. The obstructions were repeated for 10 min followed by immediate brain removal, and the medial thalamus was dissected and prepared for microarray analysis. Gene expression profiles were measured using Agilent Technology Oligo Microarrays. Following the occlusion protocol, 588 genes were found to be altered (p < 0.05, log2 fold change ≥ 0.4), with 327 down-regulated and 261 genes up-regulated. A significant up-regulation of the serotonin HTR2A receptor and significant down-regulation of the dopamine DRD1 receptor genes were found. A pathway analysis was performed targeting serotonin and dopamine receptor pathways. The mitogen activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) gene was significantly down-regulated. MAPK1 is an inhibitory regulator of the serotonin HTR2A receptor and facilitatory regulator for the dopamine DRD1 receptor. Down-regulation of MAPK1 may be related to the 2-fold up-regulation of HTR2A and 2-fold down-regulation of DRD1 suggesting an interaction in the medial thalamus serotonin-dopamine pathway elicited by airway obstruction. These results demonstrate an immediate change in gene expression in thalamic arousal-fear-anxiety-motivation related serotonin and dopamine receptors in response to airway obstruction. The results support the hypothesis that the thalamus is a component in the respiratory mechanosensory neural pathway. Four experimental animals that received tracheal occlusions and four surgical control animals were used. A reference design was used to compare all samples.

Dataset Information

Molecular and spatial profiling of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure