JSON
Mannens CCA, Hu L, Lönnerberg P, Schipper M, Reagor CC, Li X, He X, Barker RA, Sundström E, Posthuma D, Linnarsson S
Nature - (-) - [2024-05-01; online 2024-05-01]
The human brain develops through a tightly organized cascade of patterning events, induced by transcription factor expression and changes in chromatin accessibility. Although gene expression across the developing brain has been described at single-cell resolution1, similar atlases of chromatin accessibility have been primarily focused on the forebrain2-4. Here we describe chromatin accessibility and paired gene expression across the entire developing human brain during the first trimester (6-13 weeks after conception). We defined 135 clusters and used multiomic measurements to link candidate cis-regulatory elements to gene expression. The number of accessible regions increased both with age and along neuronal differentiation. Using a convolutional neural network, we identified putative functional transcription factor-binding sites in enhancers characterizing neuronal subtypes. We applied this model to cis-regulatory elements linked to ESRRB to elucidate its activation mechanism in the Purkinje cell lineage. Finally, by linking disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms to cis-regulatory elements, we validated putative pathogenic mechanisms in several diseases and identified midbrain-derived GABAergic neurons as being the most vulnerable to major depressive disorder-related mutations. Our findings provide a more detailed view of key gene regulatory mechanisms underlying the emergence of brain cell types during the first trimester and a comprehensive reference for future studies related to human neurodevelopment.
NGI Stockholm (Genomics Production) [Service]
National Genomics Infrastructure [Service]
PubMed 38693260
DOI 10.1038/s41586-024-07234-1
Crossref 10.1038/s41586-024-07234-1
pii: 10.1038/s41586-024-07234-1