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

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

Blog Article

Abstract The amygdala, or an amygdala-like structure, is found in the brains of Toners 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 Door Latch + 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.