Single cell transcriptomics reveals dysregulated cellular and molecular networks in a fragile X syndrome model.
Elisa R DonnardHuan ShuManuel GarberPublished in: PLoS genetics (2022)
Despite advances in understanding the pathophysiology of Fragile X syndrome (FXS), its molecular basis is still poorly understood. Whole brain tissue expression profiles have proved surprisingly uninformative, therefore we applied single cell RNA sequencing to profile an FMRP deficient mouse model with higher resolution. We found that the absence of FMRP results in highly cell type specific gene expression changes that are strongest among specific neuronal types, where FMRP-bound mRNAs were prominently downregulated. Metabolic pathways including translation and respiration are significantly upregulated across most cell types with the notable exception of excitatory neurons. These effects point to a potential difference in the activity of mTOR pathways, and together with other dysregulated pathways, suggest an excitatory-inhibitory imbalance in the Fmr1-knock out cortex that is exacerbated by astrocytes. Our data demonstrate that FMRP loss affects abundance of key cellular communication genes that potentially affect neuronal synapses and provide a resource for interrogating the biological basis of this disorder.
Keyphrases
- single cell
- rna seq
- gene expression
- mouse model
- high throughput
- cerebral ischemia
- case report
- dna methylation
- functional connectivity
- resting state
- single molecule
- white matter
- electronic health record
- stem cells
- multiple sclerosis
- machine learning
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- human health
- brain injury
- transcription factor
- data analysis