The work appears in the journal Scienceon August 10, 2017. Each cell’s methylome-the pattern of chemical markers made up of methyl groups that stud its DNA-gave a distinct readout that helped the Salk team sort neurons into subtypes. This is a critical step in beginning to identify how many types of neurons exist, which has eluded neuroscientists but could lead to a dramatically better understanding about brain development and dysfunction.
Now, Salk Institute and University of California San Diego scientists have, for the first time, profiled chemical modifications of DNA molecules in individual neurons, giving the most detailed information yet on what makes one brain cell different from its neighbor.