Gene

Cell biology

Oligodendrocyte

Neuroscience

Biology

Stromal cell

Stem cell

GiST

Cancer research

Lineage (genetic)

Genetics

Transcriptome

Progenitor cell

Embryo

Lineage markers

Embryonic stem cell

Central nervous system

Myelin

PDGFRA

Neural crest

Gene expression

Developmental Cell

Pdgfra+ oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) arise in distinct specification waves during embryogenesis in the central nervous system (CNS). It is unclear whether there is a correlation between these waves and different oligodendrocyte (OL) states at adult stages. Here, we present bulk and single-cell transcriptomics resources providing insights on how transitions between these states occur. We found that post-natal OPCs from brain and spinal cord present similar transcriptional signatures. Moreover, post-natal OPC progeny of E13.5 Pdgfra+ cells present electrophysiological and transcriptional profiles similar to OPCs derived from subsequent specification waves, indicating that Pdgfra+ pre-OPCs rewire their transcriptional network during development. Single-cell RNA-seq and lineage tracing indicates that a subset of E13.5 Pdgfra+ cells originates cells of the pericyte lineage. Thus, our results indicate that embryonic Pdgfra+ cells in the CNS give rise to distinct post-natal cell lineages, including OPCs with convergent transcriptional profiles in different CNS regions.

Transcriptional Convergence of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Progenitors during Development