Cell types in the mouse cortex and hippocampus revealed by single-cell RNA-seq

Cellular diversity in the brain revealed The mammalian brain has an extraordinarily large number of cells. Although there are quite a few different cell types, many cells in any one category tend to look alike. Zeisel et al. analyzed the transcriptomes of mouse brain cells to reveal more than meets the eye. Interneurons of similar type were found in dissimilar regions of the brain. Oligodendrocytes that seemed to be all of one class were differentiated by their molecular signatures into a half-dozen classes. Microglia associated with blood vessels were distinguished from look-alike perivascular macrophages. Thus, the complex microanatomy of the brain can be revealed by the RNAs expressed in its cells. Science , this issue p. 1138