Molecular specification of cell types underlying central and peripheral vision in primates (macaque peripheral single cell RNA-seq)

Among mammals, only primates including human possess a small central retinal region called the fovea, which mediates high acuity vision. As other mammals lack a fovea, molecular bases of its specialized function and dysfunction in retinal diseases remain poorly understood. By analyzing >165,000 single-cell transcriptomes from macaque fovea and peripheral retina, we identified and molecularly characterized >60 major cell types in each region. A few cell types are unique to each region, and there are also substantial differences in proportions and gene expression between corresponding types in the two areas, some of which can be related to functional differences. Comparison of macaque and mouse retinal taxonomies reveals both similarities and differences between species. Many molecular features of macaque retinal cell types are conserved in two other primates, marmosets and humans, and key human retinal disease-associated genes are expressed in specific macaque cell types Overall design: Peripheral samples from four crab-eating macaque are included.