A conserved transcriptional fingerprint of multi-neurotransmitter neurons necessary for social behavior

An essential determinant of a neuron's functionality is its neurotransmitter phenotype. We previously identified a defined subpopulation of cholinergic neurons required for social orienting behavior in zebrafish.

We transcriptionally profiled these neurons and discovered that they are capable of synthesizing both acetylcholine and GABA. We also established a constellation of transcription factors and neurotransmitter markers that can be used as a "transcriptomic fingerprint" to recognize a homologous neuronal population in another vertebrate.

Our results suggest that this transcriptomic fingerprint and the cholinergic-GABAergic neuronal subtype that it defines are evolutionarily conserved.