title: Somatosensory neuron types identified by high-coverage single-cell RNA-sequencing and functional heterogeneity.
abstract: Sensory neurons are distinguished by distinct signaling networks and receptive characteristics. Thus, sensory neuron types can be defined by linking transcriptome-based neuron typing with the sensory phenotypes. Here we classify somatosensory neurons of the mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) by high-coverage single-cell RNA-sequencing (10 950 ± 1 218 genes per neuron) and neuron size-based hierarchical clustering. Moreover, single DRG neurons responding to cutaneous stimuli are recorded using an in vivo whole-cell patch clamp technique and classified by neuron-type genetic markers. Small diameter DRG neurons are classified into one type of low-threshold mechanoreceptor and five types of mechanoheat nociceptors (MHNs). Each of the MHN types is further categorized into two subtypes. Large DRG neurons are categorized into four types, including neurexophilin 1-expressing MHNs and mechanical nociceptors (MNs) expressing BAI1-associated protein 2-like 1 (Baiap2l1). Mechanoreceptors expressing trafficking protein particle complex 3-like and Baiap2l1-marked MNs are subdivided into two subtypes each. These results provide a new system for cataloging somatosensory neurons and their transcriptome databases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 20031, China.
authors.forename: Chang-Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 20031, China.
authors.forename: Kai-Cheng
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 20031, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 20031, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTec University, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 20031, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Rong
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTec University, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Sa-Shuang
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Center for Biochip at Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Ming
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 20031, China.
authors.forename: Ying-Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 20031, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Clinical Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences/XuHui Central Hospital, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xu-Ye
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Center for Biochip at Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Center for Biochip at Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Bei-Bei
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.|School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTec University, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Center for Biochip at Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hua-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 20031, China.|School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTec University, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D005810:Multigene Family; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D059467:Transcriptome