Molecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathways
Abstract The cochlear nuclear complex (CN), the starting point for all central auditory processing, encompasses a suite of neuronal cell types highly specialized for neural coding of acoustic signals. However, the molecular logic governing these specializations remains unknown. By combining single-n...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55257-z |
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| author | Junzhan Jing Ming Hu Tenzin Ngodup Qianqian Ma Shu-Ning Natalie Lau M. Cecilia Ljungberg Matthew J. McGinley Laurence O. Trussell Xiaolong Jiang |
| author_facet | Junzhan Jing Ming Hu Tenzin Ngodup Qianqian Ma Shu-Ning Natalie Lau M. Cecilia Ljungberg Matthew J. McGinley Laurence O. Trussell Xiaolong Jiang |
| author_sort | Junzhan Jing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The cochlear nuclear complex (CN), the starting point for all central auditory processing, encompasses a suite of neuronal cell types highly specialized for neural coding of acoustic signals. However, the molecular logic governing these specializations remains unknown. By combining single-nucleus RNA sequencing and Patch-seq analysis, we reveal a set of transcriptionally distinct cell populations encompassing all previously observed types and discover multiple hitherto unknown subtypes with anatomical and physiological identity. The resulting comprehensive cell-type taxonomy reconciles anatomical position, morphological, physiological, and molecular criteria, enabling the determination of the molecular basis of the specialized cellular phenotypes in the CN. In particular, CN cell-type identity is encoded in a transcriptional architecture that orchestrates functionally congruent expression across a small set of gene families to customize projection patterns, input-output synaptic communication, and biophysical features required for encoding distinct aspects of acoustic signals. This high-resolution account of cellular heterogeneity from the molecular to the circuit level reveals the molecular logic driving cellular specializations, thus enabling the genetic dissection of auditory processing and hearing disorders with a high specificity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7d2cdac1c6884ea391ab6938b00788b2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-7d2cdac1c6884ea391ab6938b00788b22025-01-12T12:30:52ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116112510.1038/s41467-024-55257-zMolecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathwaysJunzhan Jing0Ming Hu1Tenzin Ngodup2Qianqian Ma3Shu-Ning Natalie Lau4M. Cecilia Ljungberg5Matthew J. McGinley6Laurence O. Trussell7Xiaolong Jiang8Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalOregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science UniversityJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalOregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science UniversityJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalAbstract The cochlear nuclear complex (CN), the starting point for all central auditory processing, encompasses a suite of neuronal cell types highly specialized for neural coding of acoustic signals. However, the molecular logic governing these specializations remains unknown. By combining single-nucleus RNA sequencing and Patch-seq analysis, we reveal a set of transcriptionally distinct cell populations encompassing all previously observed types and discover multiple hitherto unknown subtypes with anatomical and physiological identity. The resulting comprehensive cell-type taxonomy reconciles anatomical position, morphological, physiological, and molecular criteria, enabling the determination of the molecular basis of the specialized cellular phenotypes in the CN. In particular, CN cell-type identity is encoded in a transcriptional architecture that orchestrates functionally congruent expression across a small set of gene families to customize projection patterns, input-output synaptic communication, and biophysical features required for encoding distinct aspects of acoustic signals. This high-resolution account of cellular heterogeneity from the molecular to the circuit level reveals the molecular logic driving cellular specializations, thus enabling the genetic dissection of auditory processing and hearing disorders with a high specificity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55257-z |
| spellingShingle | Junzhan Jing Ming Hu Tenzin Ngodup Qianqian Ma Shu-Ning Natalie Lau M. Cecilia Ljungberg Matthew J. McGinley Laurence O. Trussell Xiaolong Jiang Molecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathways Nature Communications |
| title | Molecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathways |
| title_full | Molecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathways |
| title_fullStr | Molecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathways |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathways |
| title_short | Molecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathways |
| title_sort | molecular logic for cellular specializations that initiate the auditory parallel processing pathways |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55257-z |
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