Molecular Ontology of the Nucleus of Solitary Tract

Abstract

The nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) receives visceral information and regulates appetitive, digestive, and cardiorespiratory systems. Within the NTS, diverse processes operate in parallel to sustain life, but our understanding of their cellular composition is incomplete. Here, we integrate histologic and transcriptomic analysis to identify and compare molecular features that distinguish neurons in this brain region. Most glutamatergic neurons in the NTS and area postrema co-express the transcription factors Lmx1b and Phox2b, except for a ventral band of neurons in the far-caudal NTS, which include the Gcg-expressing neurons that produce glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). GABAergic interneurons intermingle through the Lmx1b+Phox2b macropopulation, and dense clusters of GABAergic neurons surround the NTS. The Lmx1b+Phox2b macropopulation includes subpopulations with distinct distributions expressing Grp, Hsd11b2, Npff, Pdyn, Pou3f1, Sctr, Th, and other markers. These findings highlight Lmx1b–Phox2b co-expression as a common feature of glutamatergic neurons in the NTS and improve our understanding of the organization and distribution of neurons in this critical brain region.