Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) somatosensory neurons detect mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli acting on the body. Achieving a holistic view of how different DRG neuron subtypes relay neural signals from the periphery to the CNS has been challenging with existing tools. Here, we develop and curate a mouse genetic toolkit that allows for interrogating the properties and functions of distinct cutaneous targeting DRG neuron subtypes. These tools have enabled a broad morphological analysis, which revealed distinct cutaneous axon arborization areas and branching patterns of the transcriptionally distinct DRG neuron subtypes. Moreover, physiological analysis revealed that each subtype has a distinct threshold and range of responses to mechanical and/or thermal stimuli. These findings support a model in which morphologically and physiologically distinct cutaneous DRG sensory neuron subtypes tile mechanical and thermal stimulus space to collectively encode a wide range of natural stimuli.

中文翻译：

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小鼠 DRG 遗传工具包揭示体感神经元亚型的形态和生理多样性

背根神经节 (DRG) 体感神经元检测作用于身体的机械、热和化学刺激。使用现有工具全面了解不同 DRG 神经元亚型如何将神经信号从外周传递到 CNS 一直是一项挑战。在这里，我们开发和策划了一个小鼠遗传工具包，该工具包允许询问不同皮肤靶向 DRG 神经元亚型的特性和功能。这些工具实现了广泛的形态学分析，揭示了不同的皮肤轴突树枝化区域和转录上不同的 DRG 神经元亚型的分支模式。此外，生理分析表明，每种亚型对机械和/或热刺激都有不同的阈值和反应范围。这些发现支持一个模型，其中形态和生理上不同的皮肤 DRG 感觉神经元亚型平铺机械和热刺激空间，共同编码各种自然刺激。