Abstract
Taste buds are innervated by neurons whose cell bodies reside in cranial sensory ganglia. Studies on the functional properties and connectivity of these neurons are hindered by the lack of markers to define their molecular identities and classes. The mouse geniculate ganglion contains chemosensory neurons innervating lingual and palatal taste buds and somatosensory neurons innervating the pinna. Here, we report single cell RNA sequencing of geniculate ganglion neurons. Using unbiased transcriptome analyses, we show a pronounced separation between two major clusters which, by anterograde labeling, correspond to gustatory and somatosensory neurons. Among the gustatory neurons, three subclusters are present, each with its own complement of transcription factors and neurotransmitter response profiles. The smallest subcluster expresses both gustatory- and mechanosensory-related genes, suggesting a novel type of sensory neuron. We identify several markers to help dissect the functional distinctions among gustatory neurons and address questions regarding target interactions and taste coding.
Highlights
Taste buds are innervated by neurons whose cell bodies reside in cranial sensory ganglia
Our unbiased transcriptome analyses of single geniculate ganglion neurons reveal distinctive clusters of cells that are characterized by specific markers, paving a way to discover the specificity of the synaptic contacts with peripheral receptors and central relays and the significance of these contacts for sensory coding
We focused on the geniculate ganglion because a large fraction of its neurons are gustatory (Fig. 1a, b) and because the majority of neurophysiological recordings and behavioral analyses are based on activity in this ganglion
Summary
Taste buds are innervated by neurons whose cell bodies reside in cranial sensory ganglia. Detailed molecular characterizations may identify novel cell types and circuits that encode sensory submodalities[11] and discover sites of developmental or physiological regulation[12, 13]. To begin remedying this major gap in our understanding of taste, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing of neurons from the mouse geniculate ganglion, the cranial ganglion that innervates taste buds on the anterior tongue and palate. Our unbiased transcriptome analyses of single geniculate ganglion neurons reveal distinctive clusters of cells that are characterized by specific markers, paving a way to discover the specificity of the synaptic contacts with peripheral receptors and central relays and the significance of these contacts for sensory coding
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