Different gene expression patterns between mouse and human brain pericytes revealed by single-cell/nucleus RNA...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cell Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Brain pericytes are crucial for microvascular function and are implicated in neurological diseases.
• Mouse models are vital for studying pericyte roles, but human-mouse translatability is uncertain due to limited comparative data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically compare gene expression profiles of adult brain pericytes between mice and humans.
• To identify conserved and species-specific genes in brain pericytes for improved translational studies.

Main Methods:

• Integrated and analyzed four mouse and human adult brain pericyte single-cell/nucleus RNA-sequencing datasets.
• Utilized Smart-seq and 10x platforms for gene expression analysis.
• Identified pericyte-specific genes and compared transcriptomes to find species-specific differences.

Main Results:

• Found overall concordance in pericyte transcriptomes across platforms.
• Identified 206 consistently differentially expressed orthologous genes, with 91 human-specific and 115 mouse-specific.
• Noted differences in transporter categories and identified human-specific genes (e.g., SLC6A1) not found in mouse pericytes.

Conclusions:

• This study systematically illustrates similarities and differences in adult brain pericyte gene expression between mice and humans.
• Provides a valuable resource for translational research in neurological disorders.