2026-06-22 中国科学院（CAS）
＜関連情報＞
- https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/cas-in-media/202606/t20260622_1174373.shtml
- https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(26)00641-0
同一ニューロンの遺伝子発現、形態、および活動のマルチモーダルイメージング Multimodal imaging of gene expression, morphology, and activity of the same neuron
Yuchen Zhao (赵钰琛) ∙ Ziqi Shi (石子琦) ∙ Xinglan Liu (刘星兰) ∙ … ∙ Ninglong Xu (徐宁龙) ∙ Shengjin Xu (徐圣进) ∙ Kai Wang (王凯)
Cell Published:June 18, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2026.05.041
Graphical abstract
Highlights
- Imaging-based multimodal characterization platform enables trimodal neuronal profiling
- Subcellular RNA localization correlates with neuronal morphology and function
- Morphology and transcriptomics are complementary in predicting neuronal function
- Vglut1+/Vip+ pyramidal tract neurons in medial VISp define a distinct response subtype
Summary
Elucidating the relationships among in vivo activity, brain-wide projection, and gene expression is critical for understanding neuronal functions, but characterizing these modalities for the same neuron remains technically challenging. Here, we developed a trimodal platform combining in vivo Ca2+ imaging, morphological reconstruction of single neurons in cleared whole brains, and post hoc imaging-based in situ transcriptomic profiling in thick brain sections. We applied this platform to the mouse primary visual cortex (VISp) and obtained trimodal profiles for 141 intratelencephalic (IT) and pyramidal tract (PT) neurons. We found that regional axonal arborization, soma location, transcriptomic signatures, and subcellular RNA localization emerged as informative predictors for distinguishing neurons preferentially responsive to different visual stimuli. Importantly, morphological and transcriptomic features are complementary and, when integrated, can better predict neuronal function. Thus, this trimodal platform enables a comprehensive understanding of the relationships among gene expression, morphological diversity, and functional properties of single neurons.
