Gene expression in Parkinson modeled mouse substantia nigra pars compacta at single cell resolution

Strong evidence in human populations indicates that pesticide exposure increases the risk of Parkinson's disease . However, to date there has no study investigating the role of genetic pathways for pesticide induced PD at cellular resolution. We used single cell RNA sequencing to provide fine-grained information on the genetic pathways of Parkinson's disease caused by a combined regimen of maneb and paraquat. We investigated the substantia nigra pars compacta of control mice and mice treated with maneb and paraquat to identify changes in gene expression in cellular subpopulations such as neurons, glia and vascular cells. This work reveals how neuronal and non-neuronal cells interact in the context of a toxicologically and environmentally relevant model Parkinson's disease, while offering entry points to the design of new therapies.