The transcriptional heterogeneity of astrocytes in Huntington’s disease
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1.Department of Neurobiology,School of Basic Medical Sciences,Nanjing Medical University,Nanjing 211166 ; 2.Schoolof Life Science & Research Center for Natural Peptide Drugs,Shaanxi Engineering & Technological Research Centerfor Conservation & Utilization of Regional Biological Resources,Yan’an University,Yan’an 716000 ; 3.Institute ofMilitary Cognition and Brain Sciences,Academy of Military Medical Sciences,Academy of Military Sciences,Beijing 100850 ,China

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R742.2

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    Abstract:

    Objective:To elucidate the activation status and transcriptional heterogeneity of astrocytes in the mouse brain during Huntington’s disease(HD)progression,and screen and identify differentially expressed molecules on the key issue. Methods: Immunofluorescence was employed to examine the transformation of HD astrocytes into reactive astrocytes at both the early and late stages of the disease,and this transformation was then verified by RT-qPCR;Single-cell dissociation and magnetic bead sorting techniques were utilized to isolate astrocytes from mouse brains for subsequent transcriptome sequencing;Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes(DEGs)and perform gene ontology(GO)analysis on the transcriptome data from the early and late stages of HD;Genes related to HD progression were selected for protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis, and the expression of core genes were validated. Results:In the late stage of HD,astrocytes transformed into A1-type reactive astrocytes;In the early stage of the disease,DEGs in HD mouse astrocytes were predominantly associated with synaptic functions,such as synaptic cleft and synaptic structure maintenance,whereas in the late stage,they were mainly involved in chemotactic activity, signal transduction,and cellular response functions;The core genes of astrocytes during HD progression were mainly related to angiogenesis,RNA splicing,metabolism,and muscle movement. Conclusion:In the early stage of HD,astrocytes influence neuronal development and synaptogenesis. Later in the disease course,they transform into neurotoxic type A1 reactive astrocytes. Astrocyte heterogeneity genes that are independent of the aging process may serve as effective molecular markers for the progression and prediction of HD,and the findings are expected to provide a new reference for the early detection and treatment of HD.

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CHEN Beining, YANG Qinghu, YUAN Zengqiang, GUO Xing. The transcriptional heterogeneity of astrocytes in Huntington’s disease[J].,2025,(4):487-497,587.

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  • Received:November 24,2024
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  • Online: April 08,2025
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