Single-nucleus RNA sequencing of developing superior colliculus identifies neuronal diversity and candidate mediators of circuit assembly
James S. Choi,
Ana C. Ayupe,
Felipe Beckedorff,
Paola Catanuto,
Robyn McCartan,
Konstantin Levay,
Kevin K. Park
Affiliations
James S. Choi
Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Ter., Miami, FL 33136, USA
Ana C. Ayupe
Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Ter., Miami, FL 33136, USA
Felipe Beckedorff
Department of Human Genetics, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
Paola Catanuto
Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Ter., Miami, FL 33136, USA
Robyn McCartan
Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Ter., Miami, FL 33136, USA
Konstantin Levay
Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Ter., Miami, FL 33136, USA
Kevin K. Park
Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Ter., Miami, FL 33136, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: The superior colliculus (SC) is a sensorimotor structure in the midbrain that integrates input from multiple sensory modalities to initiate motor commands. It undergoes well-characterized steps of circuit assembly during development, rendering the mouse SC a popular model to study establishment of neural connectivity. Here we perform single-nucleus RNA-sequencing analysis of the mouse SC isolated at various developmental time points. Our study provides a transcriptomic landscape of the cell types that comprise the SC across murine development with particular emphasis on neuronal heterogeneity. We report a repertoire of genes differentially expressed across the different postnatal ages, many of which are known to regulate axon guidance and synapse formation. Using these data, we find that Pax7 expression is restricted to a subset of GABAergic neurons. Our data provide a valuable resource for interrogating the mechanisms of circuit development and identifying markers for manipulating specific SC neuronal populations and circuits.
