Tany-Seq: Integrated Analysis of the Mouse Tanycyte Transcriptome

Abstract: The ability to maintain energy homeostasis is necessary for survival. Recently, an emerging role for ependymogial cells, which line the third ventricle in the hypothalamus in the regulation of energy homeostasis, has been appreciated. These cells are called tanycytes and are physically at the interface of brain communication with peripheral organs and have been proposed to mediate the transport of circulating hormones from the third ventricle into the parenchyma of the hypothalamus. Despite the important role tanycytes have been proposed to play in mediating communication from the periphery to the brain, we understand very little about the ontology and function of these cells due to their limited abundance and lack of ability to genetically target this cell population reliably. To overcome these hurdles, we integrated existing hypothalamic single cell RNA sequencing data, focusing on tanycytes, to allow for more in-depth characterization of tanycytic cell types and their putative functions. Overall, we expect this dataset to serve as a resource for the research community.摘要：维持能量稳态是生物存活的必要前提。近期研究揭示，衬贴于下丘脑第三脑室的室管膜细胞（ependymogial cells）在能量稳态调控中具有新兴的重要功能。这类细胞被命名为伸展细胞（tanycytes），其生理位置处于大脑与外周器官的通信界面，被认为可介导循环激素从第三脑室向下丘脑脑实质的转运过程。尽管已有研究提出伸展细胞在介导外周-大脑信号通信中发挥关键作用，但由于该类细胞丰度有限，且难以对其群体进行可靠的遗传靶向操作，目前学界对这类细胞的起源与功能仍所知甚少。为突破上述研究障碍，本研究整合了现有的下丘脑单细胞RNA测序（single cell RNA sequencing）数据，重点聚焦伸展细胞，以实现对伸展细胞亚型及其潜在功能的更深入解析。总体而言，本数据集旨在为全球科研共同体提供一份可用的研究资源。