Dual platform spatial transcriptomics reveals parvalbumin interneuron subtype vulnerability in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease
摘要
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline and synaptic dysfunction. Among the earliest regions affected is the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), where parvalbumin-expressing (PV + ) interneurons are particularly susceptible to AD-related pathology. To understand the molecular alterations within these vulnerable neurons we employed a dual-platform spatial transcriptomics approach, integrating GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP) and Xenium In Situ. We analyzed the transcriptomic profiles of PV+ and NeuN+ neurons in the RSC of female 5xFAD mice. We leveraged the individual strengths of each platform to generate a robust and comprehensive dataset. Using non-negative matrix factorization and k-means clustering, we identified disease-associated metagenes and examined their spatial distribution. Our analysis revealed distinct transcriptional subpopulations within PV+ interneurons, with specific metagenes differentially expressed in RSC.