Transcriptomic atlas of thalamic nuclei

We profiled the transcriptome of 22 thalamic nuclei. Nuclei were retrogradely labeled from their forebrain target areas, microdissected and fluorescent cells pooled. Anterograde tracing was used when identification of nuclear boundaries was ambiguous. We found that thalamic nuclei share a common axis of variance closely linked to the mediolateral spatial axis of thalamus. This axis was enriched in functionally relevant genes such as neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels, and was closely linked to functional and morphological properties of the neurons. Transcriptome profiling of 22 thalamic nuclei, defined via projection labeling我们对22个丘脑核团的转录组（transcriptome）进行了表征分析。实验中，我们通过前脑靶区对这些核团完成逆行标记，经显微切割后收集荧光标记的细胞；当核团边界难以明确识别时，采用顺行示踪（anterograde tracing）技术辅助鉴定。研究发现，所有丘脑核团共享一条共同的变异轴，该轴与丘脑的内外侧空间轴紧密相关；该变异轴富集了神经递质受体、离子通道等功能相关基因，且与神经元的功能及形态学特性密切关联。本研究通过投射标记法界定了22个丘脑核团，并对其转录组进行了表征分析。