Single-cell transcriptomic profiling of dorsal root ganglion: an overview

The somatosensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) are responsible to detect peripheral physical and noxious stimuli, and then transmit these inputs into the central nervous system. DRG neurons are composed of various subpopulations, which are suggested to respond to different stimuli, such as mechanical, thermal, and cold perception. For a long time, DRG neurons were classified based on anatomical criteria. Recently, single-cell (scRNA-seq) and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) has advanced our understanding of the composition and functional heterogeneity of both human and rodent DRG neurons at single-cell resolution. In this review, we summarized the current literature regarding single-cell transcriptomic profiling of DRG to provide an integral understanding in the molecular transcriptomes, cell types, and functional annotations of DRG neurons in humans and rodents.

Automated summary

The somatosensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) detect peripheral stimuli and transmit them into the central nervous system. Recent advances in single-cell sequencing have provided insights into the composition and heterogeneity of DRG neurons in humans and rodents. This review summarizes the current literature on single-cell transcriptomic profiling of DRG to understand its molecular transcriptomes, cell types, and functional annotations.