PLX219470

GSE123936: Accelerated evolution of oligodendrocytes in human brain

• Organsim human
• Type RNASEQ
• Target gene
• Project ARCHS4

Recent discussions of human brain evolution have largely focused on increased neuron numbers and changes in their connectivity and expression. However, it is increasingly appreciated that oligodendrocytes play important roles in cognitive function and disease. Whether both cell types follow distinctive evolutionary trajectories is not known. We examined the transcriptomes of neurons and oligodendrocytes in the frontal cortex of humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. We identified human-specific trajectories of gene expression in oligodendrocytes and show that oligodendrocytes have undergone accelerated gene expression evolution in the human lineage. The signature of acceleration is enriched for cell type-specific expression alterations in schizophrenia. These results underscore the importance of oligodendrocytes in human brain evolution. SOURCE: Genevieve Konopka (gena@alum.mit.edu) - UT Southwestern Medical Center