Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Molecular Biology
Researchers created a high-resolution map of genetic regulation in the human prefrontal cortex using 5.6 million nuclei from 1,384 donors. The atlas revealed cell-specific regulation of genes linked to brain disorders that bulk-tissue studies had not detected.
Researchers analyzed more than 6.3 million nuclei from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of 1,494 donors, including people with eight brain disorders and neurotypical controls. The atlas shows shared cellular changes across diseases, as well as disease- and stage-related differences in Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers found that active parts of the human genome form condensed domains whose movement is constrained by cohesin, a protein complex that helps organize DNA. When cohesin was lost, nucleosomes became more mobile within the domains, allowing nearby regions to mix and weakening transcriptional insulation.
Researchers developed MuSpAn, a software package for mapping how cells interact across different scales in tissue. Tests on normal mouse intestine and a mouse intestinal cancer model identified coordinated fibroblast–immune interactions and a range of fibroblast states.
