Transcriptional vulnerabilities of striatal neurons in human and rodent models of Huntington's disease.
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| Abstract | Striatal projection neurons (SPNs), which progressively degenerate in human patients with Huntington's disease (HD), are classified along two axes: the canonical direct-indirect pathway division and the striosome-matrix compartmentation. It is well established that the indirect-pathway SPNs are susceptible to neurodegeneration and transcriptomic disturbances, but less is known about how the striosome-matrix axis is compromised in HD in relation to the canonical axis. Here we show, using single-nucleus RNA-sequencing data from male Grade 1 HD patient post-mortem brain samples and male zQ175 and R6/2 mouse models, that the two axes are multiplexed and differentially compromised in HD. In human HD, striosomal indirect-pathway SPNs are the most depleted SPN population. In mouse HD models, the transcriptomic distinctiveness of striosome-matrix SPNs is diminished more than that of direct-indirect pathway SPNs. Furthermore, the loss of striosome-matrix distinction is more prominent within indirect-pathway SPNs. These results open the possibility that the canonical direct-indirect pathway and striosome-matrix compartments are differentially compromised in late and early stages of disease progression, respectively, differentially contributing to the symptoms, thus calling for distinct therapeutic strategies. |
| Year of Publication | 2023
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| Journal | Nature communications
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| Volume | 14
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| Issue | 1
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| Pages | 282
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| Date Published | 01/2023
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| ISSN | 2041-1723
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| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-022-35752-x
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| PubMed ID | 36650127
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