Oligodendrocyte heterogeneity in the mouse juvenile and adult central nervous system

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 352; no. 6291; pp. 1326 - 1329
• Main Authors: Marques, Sueli, Zeisel, Amit, Codeluppi, Simone, van Bruggen, David, Falcão, Ana Mendanha, Xiao, Lin, Li, Huiliang, Häring, Martin, Hochgerner, Hannah, Romanov, Roman A., Gyllborg, Daniel, Muñoz-Manchado, Ana B., La Manno, Gioele, Lönnerberg, Peter, Floriddia, Elisa M., Rezayee, Fatemah, Ernfors, Patrik, Arenas, Ernest, Hjerling-Leffler, Jens, Harkany, Tibor, Richardson, William D., Linnarsson, Sten, Castelo-Branco, Gonçalo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 10.06.2016; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Adults; Anatomy; Animals; Antigens - genetics; Antigens - metabolism; Biomarkers - metabolism; Brain; Brain - cytology; Brain - growth & development; Cell Lineage; Cells, Cultured; Central nervous system; Differentiation; Heterogeneity; Individualized Instruction; Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors - metabolism; Learning - physiology; Mice; Motor Activity - physiology; Myelin Sheath - genetics; Myelin Sheath - metabolism; Nervous system; Neurogenesis; Neurons; Oligodendroglia - cytology; Oligodendroglia - metabolism; Populations; Precursors; Process control; Proteoglycans - genetics; Proteoglycans - metabolism; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha - genetics; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha - metabolism; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Messenger - genetics; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Single-Cell Analysis
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf6463

Oligodendrocytes have been considered as a functionally homogeneous population in the central nervous system (CNS). We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 5072 cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage from 10 regions of the mouse juvenile and adult CNS. Thirteen distinct populations were identified, 12 of which represent a continuum from Pdgfra⁺ oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) to distinct mature oligodendrocytes. Initial stages of differentiation were similar across the juvenile CNS, whereas subsets of mature oligodendrocytes were enriched in specific regions in the adult brain. Newly formed oligodendrocytes were detected in the adult CNS and were responsive to complex motor learning. A second Pdgfra⁺ population, distinct from OPCs, was found along vessels. Our study reveals the dynamics of oligodendrocyte differentiation and maturation, uncoupling them at a transcriptional level and highlighting oligodendrocyte heterogeneity in the CNS.