The neuronal and glial cell diversity in the celiac ganglion revealed by single-nucleus RNA sequencing

The sympathetic nervous system regulates various visceral functions, including those of the heart, lungs, and digestive system, and maintains homeostasis. The prevertebral ganglia (PVG) in the peripheral nervous system serve as a vital relay station, transmitting efferent signals to visceral organs. The PVG receives innervation from intestinofugal afferent neurones (IFANs) that originate from the enteric plexus, as well as from spinal sensory nerves that innervate the enteric tract. While neural circuits comprising sensory and sympathetic nerves have been proposed, the exact diversity of the individual neurones in these circuits is still not well characterized in rats. In this study, we employed single-nuclei RNA-sequencing to characterize all the cell types present in the celiac ganglion (CG). We identified five distinct neural clusters, including celiac noradrenergic and celiac cholinergic neurones (CNA1-4, CACh). Among these, the CNA3 cluster expressed Tacr1 and Cckar, while the CACh cluster expressed Ramp1. Furthermore, we characterised Mki67-positive proliferating cells and found that they expressed genes associated with satellite glial cells (SGCs). Additionally, general resident and sympathetic SGCs with distinct SGC clusters were localised within the CG. Our data provide a valuable resource for investigating neural circuits within the PVG and for identifying target organs innervated by specific neuronal populations.