Somatosensory neuron types identified by high-coverage single-cell RNA-sequencing and functional heterogeneity

• Published in: Cell research Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 83 - 102
• Main Authors: Li, Chang-Lin, Li, Kai-Cheng, Wu, Dan, Chen, Yan, Luo, Hao, Zhao, Jing-Rong, Wang, Sa-Shuang, Sun, Ming-Ming, Lu, Ying-Jin, Zhong, Yan-Qing, Hu, Xu-Ye, Hou, Rui, Zhou, Bei-Bei, Bao, Lan, Xiao, Hua-Sheng, Zhang, Xu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.01.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/1647/514/1949; 631/337/572; 631/378/2620; Animals; Base Sequence; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Cells, Cultured; Ganglia, Spinal - cytology; Ganglia, Spinal - metabolism; Gene Regulatory Networks; Genetic markers; Heterogeneity; Life Sciences; Male; Mechanoreceptors - cytology; Mechanoreceptors - metabolism; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Multigene Family; Nociceptors - cytology; Nociceptors - metabolism; Original; original-article; Patch-Clamp Techniques; RNA; Sensory Receptor Cells - cytology; Sensory Receptor Cells - metabolism; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Transcriptome; 单细胞; 异质性; 测序; 神经类型; 背根神经节神经元; 覆盖率; 躯体感觉; single-cell RNA sequencing; somatosensation; neuron type; primary sensory neuron
• ISSN: 1001-0602; 1748-7838; 1748-7838
• DOI: 10.1038/cr.2015.149

Sensory neurons are distinguished by distinct signaling networks and receptive characteristics. Thus, sensory neuron types can be defined by linking transcriptome-based neuron typing with the sensory phenotypes. Here we classify somatosensory neurons of the mouse dorsal root ganglion （DRG） by high-coverage single-cell RNA-sequencing （10 950 ±1 218 genes per neuron） and neuron size-based hierarchical clustering. Moreover, single DRG neurons responding to cutaneous stimuli are recorded using an in vivo whole-cell patch clamp technique and classified by neuron-type genetic markers. Small diameter DRG neurons are classified into one type of low-threshold mechanoreceptor and five types of mechanoheat nociceptors （MHNs）. Each of the MHN types is further categorized into two subtypes. Large DRG neurons are categorized into four types, including neurexophilin 1-expressing MHNs and mechanical nociceptors （MNs） expressing BAil-associated protein 2-like I （Baiap211）. Mechanoreceptors expressing trafficking protein particle complex 3-like and Baiap211-marked MNs are subdivided into two subtypes each. These results provide a new system for cataloging somatosensory neurons and their transcriptome databases.