Molecular and cellular evolution of the amygdala across species analyzed by single-nucleus transcriptome profiling

• Published in: Cell discovery Vol. 9; no. 1; p. 19
• Main Authors: Yu, Bin, Zhang, Qianqian, Lin, Lin, Zhou, Xin, Ma, Wenji, Wen, Shaonan, Li, Chunyue, Wang, Wei, Wu, Qian, Wang, Xiaoqun, Li, Xiao-Ming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 14.02.2023; Springer Nature B.V; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/1647/48; 631/337/2019; Adaptation; Amygdala; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Cell Culture; Cell Cycle Analysis; Cell Physiology; Divergence; Dopamine D2 receptors; Gene expression; Geographical distribution; Interneurons; Life Sciences; Neurons; Species; Stem Cells; Transcriptomes
• ISSN: 2056-5968; 2056-5968
• DOI: 10.1038/s41421-022-00506-y

The amygdala, or an amygdala-like structure, is found in the brains of all vertebrates and plays a critical role in survival and reproduction. However, the cellular architecture of the amygdala and how it has evolved remain elusive. Here, we generated single-nucleus RNA-sequencing data for more than 200,000 cells in the amygdala of humans, macaques, mice, and chickens. Abundant neuronal cell types from different amygdala subnuclei were identified in all datasets. Cross-species analysis revealed that inhibitory neurons and inhibitory neuron-enriched subnuclei of the amygdala were well-conserved in cellular composition and marker gene expression, whereas excitatory neuron-enriched subnuclei were relatively divergent. Furthermore, LAMP5 + interneurons were much more abundant in primates, while DRD2 + inhibitory neurons and LAMP5 + SATB2 + excitatory neurons were dominant in the human central amygdalar nucleus (CEA) and basolateral amygdalar complex (BLA), respectively. We also identified CEA-like neurons and their species-specific distribution patterns in chickens. This study highlights the extreme cell-type diversity in the amygdala and reveals the conservation and divergence of cell types and gene expression patterns across species that may contribute to species-specific adaptations.