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Updated: Jun 7, 2025
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Rapid In Situ Hybridization using Oligonucleotide Probes on Paraformaldehyde-prefixed Brain of Rats with Serotonin Syndrome
Published on: September 23, 2015
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Transcriptomic mapping of the 5-HT receptor landscape
Roberto De Filippo1, Dietmar Schmitz1,2,3,4,5
1Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
Patterns (New York, N.Y.)
|November 21, 2024
Summary
This study maps serotonin receptor (Htr) gene activity in the mouse brain using single-cell data. Most brain cells express at least one serotonin receptor, revealing intricate system complexity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Serotonin (5-HT) is a key neurotransmitter regulating critical brain functions including mood, sleep, and cognition.
- Understanding the expression patterns of serotonin receptors (Htrs) is essential for deciphering the serotonergic system's complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of all 14 serotonin receptor (Htr) subtypes in the adult mouse brain.
- To investigate the prevalence, distribution, and co-expression patterns of Htrs across diverse cell types.
- To spatially map Htr expression using high-resolution imaging techniques.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from the Allen Institute (≈4 million cells).
- Multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) data from Harvard University (≈10 million cells).
- Bioinformatic analysis to identify differential transcription and spatial distribution patterns.
Main Results:
- All 14 serotonin receptor (Htr) subtypes exhibit differential transcription patterns across mouse brain cells.
- Approximately 65.84% of cells transcribe RNA for at least one Htr, with frequent co-transcription of multiple Htrs.
- MERFISH analysis confirmed known and revealed novel spatial expression patterns for Htrs.
Conclusions:
- The serotonin system exhibits significant complexity at the single-cell level, with widespread Htr expression and co-expression.
- This study provides a detailed transcriptomic and spatial map of Htr expression in the mouse brain.
- An interactive visualizer is available to facilitate further exploration of Htr transcription data.
