Spatial organization, chromatin accessibility and gene-regulatory programs defining mouse sensory neurons.
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Krauter D, Kupari J, Usoskin D, Su J, Hu Y, Zhang MD, Ernfors P
Commun Biol 8 (1) 908 [2025-06-11; online 2025-06-11]
Heterogeneity among somatosensory neurons is necessary for internal and external sensation. Precise patterns of gene transcription orchestrated through enhancer activation maintain heterogeneity. Thus, high-resolution cell type classification, chromatin accessibility and its relation to enhancer activation can explain the governing principles for sensory neuron heterogeneity. Here, we present an integrated atlas from published high-quality scRNA-seq datasets and resequencing the dorsal root ganglion, including over 44,000 neurons. MERSCOPE spatial transcriptomics confirms cell types in situ, including previously unrecognized neuronal types, and a spatial zonation of both neurons and non-neuronal cells. We present a cell type specific open chromatin atlas revealing enhancer driven regulons and gene-regulatory networks organized into co-regulated gene-programs that together define sensory neuron diversity. Cell type complexity is shown to be generated by layered co-regulated transcriptional modules representing shared functions across different scales of the neuronal type hierarchy with cell type specific contribution as the exception.
NGI Stockholm (Genomics Production) [Service]
National Genomics Infrastructure [Service]
PubMed 40500276
DOI 10.1038/s42003-025-08315-1
Crossref 10.1038/s42003-025-08315-1
pmc: PMC12159162
pii: 10.1038/s42003-025-08315-1