Defining Specific Cell States of MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease by Single-Nucleus RNA Sequencing

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with an impairment of movement execution that is related to age and genetic and environmental factors. 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is a neurotoxin widely used to induce PD models, but the effect of MPTP on the cells and genes of PD has not been fully elucidated. By single-nucleus RNA sequencing, we uncovered the PD-specific cells and revealed the changes in their cellular states, including astrocytosis and endothelial cells’ absence, as well as a cluster of medium spiny neuron cells unique to PD. Furthermore, trajectory analysis of astrocyte and endothelial cell populations predicted candidate target gene sets that might be associated with PD. Notably, the detailed regulatory roles of astrocyte-specific transcription factors Dbx2 and Sox13 in PD were revealed in our work. Finally, we characterized the cell–cell communications of PD-specific cells and found that the overall communication strength was enhanced in PD compared with a matched control, especially the signaling pathways of NRXN and NEGR. Our work provides an overview of the changes in cellular states of the MPTP-induced mouse brain.