Single cell expression profiling of NG2 cell lineage from adult mice cortex three days after focal cerebral ischemia

Ischemic stroke is a serious medical condition that leads to neurological symptoms such as loss of motor and cognitive function. Focal cerebral ischemia (FCI) occurs due to interruption of blood supply to the site of injury, leading to the death of brain cells. Cells carrying Neural-glial antigen 2 (NG2) include glial cells serving primarily as olidogendrocyte precursors and a portion of pericytes. NG2 glia proliferate rapidly after ischemia and migrate to the site of injury, participate with astrocytes in glial scar formation, and contribute to the regeneration of the brain tissue. The ability of NG2 glia to differentiate into a different cell type than oligodendrocytes has been described but is still controversial. We therefore isolated NG2 cells and their derivatives labeled with tdTomato red fluorescent protein from the cortex of Rosa26-tdTomato/Cspg4-CreERT2 mice three days after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Sham-operated animals were used as healthy controls (CTRL). We aimed to identify NG2 cell types and their derivatives in the cortex of healthy and ischemic mice and determine their incidence as well as characteristic gene expression.