Single-cell transcriptomic profiling of the aging mouse brain

Nat Neurosci. 2019 Oct;22(10):1696-1708. doi: 10.1038/s41593-019-0491-3. Epub 2019 Sep 24.

Abstract

The mammalian brain is complex, with multiple cell types performing a variety of diverse functions, but exactly how each cell type is affected in aging remains largely unknown. Here we performed a single-cell transcriptomic analysis of young and old mouse brains. We provide comprehensive datasets of aging-related genes, pathways and ligand-receptor interactions in nearly all brain cell types. Our analysis identified gene signatures that vary in a coordinated manner across cell types and gene sets that are regulated in a cell-type specific manner, even at times in opposite directions. These data reveal that aging, rather than inducing a universal program, drives a distinct transcriptional course in each cell population, and they highlight key molecular processes, including ribosome biogenesis, underlying brain aging. Overall, these large-scale datasets (accessible online at https://portals.broadinstitute.org/single_cell/study/aging-mouse-brain ) provide a resource for the neuroscience community that will facilitate additional discoveries directed towards understanding and modifying the aging process.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aging / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Brain / cytology
  • Brain / growth & development*
  • Cell Communication / genetics
  • Cell Lineage / genetics
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation / genetics
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Ribosomes / genetics
  • Single-Cell Analysis*
  • Transcriptome / genetics*