A consensus spinal cord cell type atlas across mouse, macaque, and human

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genomics
• Comparative Biology

Background:

• The spinal cord's cellular diversity is crucial for function but lacks comprehensive molecular characterization across species.
• Understanding these cell types is vital for addressing neurological diseases and injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a unified, cross-species cell type atlas of the spinal cord.
• To create a molecular and anatomical map of spinal cord cell types.
• To identify conserved and species-specific cellular features and regulatory mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Integration of single-nucleus gene expression, chromatin accessibility, and spatial transcriptomic data.
• Analysis of spinal cord segments from human, macaque, and mouse.
• Application of deep learning sequence models for enhancer logic analysis.

Main Results:

• A unified cell type atlas for human, macaque, and mouse spinal cords was generated.
• A cell type-guided anatomical map of spinal cord laminae and nuclei was created.
• Conserved and species-specific cellular features, including primate motor neuron subtypes, were identified.

Conclusions:

• This research establishes a unifying molecular and anatomical taxonomy of spinal cord cell types.
• The findings provide a foundation for understanding spinal cord function, development, and disease.
• The study highlights conserved transcription factor grammar underlying cellular identity and viral targeting.