Expression data of GFP-GnRH neurons during rat embryonic development

During development, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are born in the nasal placode and migrate to the hypothalamus, where they position to regulate sexual reproduction. Defective GnRH neuron development may lead to GnRH deficiency (GD) which is characterized by absent or delayed puberty. Several GD causative genes have been identified so far, but half of the cases are still idiopathic. The identification of candidate genes is also hampered by the difficulty in isolating and studying GnRH neurons, which are small in number, develop in a short developmental window and lack specific markers. Gene expression profiles of GnRH neurons are lacking, as obtaining primary GnRH neurons is challenging and no reports on gene expression profiles during the whole developmental process of GnRH neurons are available. In this work, we obtained the transcriptomic profile of sorted GFP-positive and unsorted GFP-negative cells from Gnrh1-GFP rat embryos at three developmental stages, representing the initiation (embryonic day (E)14), the peak (E17) and the completion of GnRH neuronal migration (E20). Sorted GFP-GnRH neurons and unsorted cells from 8-10 pooled rat embryos at three different time points were analyzed