Fig. 2: Molecular heterogeneity of mouse STN as revealed by single nucleotide transcriptomics followed through with spatial mRNA mapping.

Serial mouse brain sections analyzed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) detects differential patterns and profiles of selected gene expression products; distribution within, and immediately surrounding, the STN structure: a Pitx2; b Vglut2; c Serotonin receptor subtype 2c, 5´Htr2c; d Kcnab3; e Nxph1; f Nxph4; g Col24a1; h PV i Tac1; j Baiap3; k Gad1; l Calb2. Note: Pitx2, Vglut2, Htr2c, Kcnab3, Nxph1 mRNAs (a–e) are present throughout the entire STN structure; Nxph4 mRNA is similar but excluded from dorsolateral-most part of STN; Col24a1 primarily in medially and centrally located STN neurons and excluded dorsally with opposite pattern of PV mRNA, primarily in dorsally and centrally located STN neurons while excluded medially (compare g and h); Tac1 and Baiap3 mRNAs absent from STN (i and j), but Tac1 strong in para-STN (PSTN), Baiap3 in PSTN and also surrounding hypothalamus (lateral and posterior hypothalamus, PH, LH); Gad1 (k; GABA marker) largely absent from STN and PSTN (in accordance with their excitatory phenotype) but present in GABAergic structure zona incerta (ZI), Calb2 mRNA stronger in medial STN and para-STN (PSTN) than dorsal STN (l). For mRNA full name, see the main text. See original publication for details (Wallén-Mackenzie et al. ⁶⁷; published under Open access).