An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area
Summary: The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a complex brain region that is essential for reward function and frequently implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. While decades of research on VTA function have focused on dopamine neurons, recent evidence has identified critical roles for GABAergic and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Cell Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124722003643 |
| _version_ | 1818365110704406528 |
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| author | Robert A. Phillips, III Jennifer J. Tuscher Samantha L. Black Emma Andraka N. Dalton Fitzgerald Lara Ianov Jeremy J. Day |
| author_facet | Robert A. Phillips, III Jennifer J. Tuscher Samantha L. Black Emma Andraka N. Dalton Fitzgerald Lara Ianov Jeremy J. Day |
| author_sort | Robert A. Phillips, III |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a complex brain region that is essential for reward function and frequently implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. While decades of research on VTA function have focused on dopamine neurons, recent evidence has identified critical roles for GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in reward processes. Additionally, although subsets of VTA neurons express genes involved in the synthesis and transport of multiple neurotransmitters, characterization of these combinatorial populations has largely relied on low-throughput methods. To comprehensively define the molecular architecture of the VTA, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on 21,600 cells from the rat VTA. Analysis of neuronal subclusters identifies selective markers for dopamine and combinatorial neurons, reveals expression profiles for receptors targeted by drugs of abuse, and demonstrates population-specific enrichment of gene sets linked to brain disorders. These results highlight the heterogeneity of the VTA and provide a resource for further exploration of VTA gene expression. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T22:15:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-515061f5535841a69c29f8457d05f4a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-1247 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T22:15:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cell Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-515061f5535841a69c29f8457d05f4a82022-12-21T23:29:37ZengElsevierCell Reports2211-12472022-04-01391110616An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental areaRobert A. Phillips, III0Jennifer J. Tuscher1Samantha L. Black2Emma Andraka3N. Dalton Fitzgerald4Lara Ianov5Jeremy J. Day6Department of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USADepartment of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USADepartment of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USADepartment of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USADepartment of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USACivitan International Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USADepartment of Neurobiology & Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA; Civitan International Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA; Corresponding authorSummary: The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a complex brain region that is essential for reward function and frequently implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. While decades of research on VTA function have focused on dopamine neurons, recent evidence has identified critical roles for GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in reward processes. Additionally, although subsets of VTA neurons express genes involved in the synthesis and transport of multiple neurotransmitters, characterization of these combinatorial populations has largely relied on low-throughput methods. To comprehensively define the molecular architecture of the VTA, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on 21,600 cells from the rat VTA. Analysis of neuronal subclusters identifies selective markers for dopamine and combinatorial neurons, reveals expression profiles for receptors targeted by drugs of abuse, and demonstrates population-specific enrichment of gene sets linked to brain disorders. These results highlight the heterogeneity of the VTA and provide a resource for further exploration of VTA gene expression.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124722003643CP: Neuroscience |
| spellingShingle | Robert A. Phillips, III Jennifer J. Tuscher Samantha L. Black Emma Andraka N. Dalton Fitzgerald Lara Ianov Jeremy J. Day An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area Cell Reports CP: Neuroscience |
| title | An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area |
| title_full | An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area |
| title_fullStr | An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area |
| title_full_unstemmed | An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area |
| title_short | An atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area |
| title_sort | atlas of transcriptionally defined cell populations in the rat ventral tegmental area |
| topic | CP: Neuroscience |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124722003643 |
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