Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2025
07:03
Evaluation of Hemisphere Lateralization with Bilateral Local Field Potential Recording in Secondary Motor Cortex of Mice
Published on: July 31, 2019
6.7K
Comparative transcriptomic rhythms in the mouse and human prefrontal cortex.
Jennifer N Burns1,2, Aaron K Jenkins1, Xiangning Xue3
1Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
|January 28, 2025
Summary
This study reveals conserved but sex-specific differences in brain gene expression rhythms between mice and humans. Understanding these cross-species variations is crucial for psychiatric disease research using animal models.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genomics
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Alterations in the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) are linked to psychiatric disorders.
- Circadian gene expression rhythms exist in the brain, including the PFC, and are disrupted in disease.
- Rodent models of human PFC function face challenges due to evolutionary specialization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare transcriptomic rhythms between mouse and human PFC subregions.
- To identify sex-specific differences in molecular rhythms across species.
- To inform translational research for psychiatric diseases.
Main Methods:
- RNA sequencing was used for a sex-specific, cross-species comparison.
- Transcriptomic rhythms were analyzed in the mouse medial PFC (mPFC) and human anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC).
Main Results:
- Circadian rhythm signaling is conserved across species and PFC subregions.
- A sex-dependent phase shift in core clock gene expression exists between mouse and human PFC.
- Rhythmic transcripts are largely unique to each species and region, with notable overlap in females between mouse mPFC and human ACC.
- Core biological processes show rhythmic enrichment across species, with regional and sex-specific variations.
Conclusions:
- Transcriptomic rhythms exhibit evolutionary conservation alongside human PFC specialization.
- Cross-species differences in molecular rhythms must be considered when using animal models for psychiatric research.
