Aging and neurodegeneration are associated with increased mutations in single human neurons.

It has long been hypothesized that aging and neurodegeneration are associated with somatic mutation in neurons; however, methodological hurdles have prevented testing this hypothesis directly. We used single-cell whole-genome sequencing to perform genome-wide somatic single-nucleotide variant (sSNV) identification on DNA from 161 single neurons from the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of 15 normal individuals (aged 4 months to 82 years), as well as 9 individuals affected by early-onset neurodegeneration due to genetic disorders of DNA repair (Cockayne syndrome and xeroderma pigmentosum). sSNVs increased approximately linearly with age in both areas (with a higher rate in hippocampus) and were more abundant in neurodegenerative disease. The accumulation of somatic mutations with age-which we term genosenium-shows age-related, region-related, and disease-related molecular signatures and may be important in other human age-associated conditions.

Developmental expression of Kv1 voltage-gated potassium channels in the avian hypothalamus.

Specialized hypothalamic neurons integrate the homeostatic balance between food intake and energy expenditure, processes that may become dysregulated during the development of diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic disorders. Shaker family voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv1) contribute to the maintenance of resting membrane potential, action potential characteristics, and neurotransmitter release in many populations of neurons, although hypothalamic Kv1 channel expression has been largely unexplored. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings from avian hypothalamic brain slices demonstrate a developmental shift in the electrophysiological properties of avian arcuate nucleus neurons, identifying an increase in outward ionic current that corresponds with action potential maturation. Additionally, RT-PCR experiments identified the early expression of Kv1.2, Kv1.3, and Kv1.5 mRNA in the embryonic avian hypothalamus, suggesting that these channels may underlie the electrophysiological changes observed in these neurons. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis on intact microdissections of embryonic hypothalamic tissue revealed a concomitant increase in Kv1.2 and Kv1.5 gene expression at key electrophysiological time points during development. This study is the first to demonstrate hypothalamic mRNA expression of Kv1 channels in developing avian embryos and may suggest a role for voltage-gated ion channel regulation in the physiological patterning of embryonic hypothalamic circuits governing energy homeostasis.