A recent flurry of genetic studies in mice have provided key insights into how the somatosensory system is organized at a cellular level to encode itch, pain, temperature, and touch. These studies are largely predicated on the idea that functional cell types can be identified by their unique developmental provenance and gene expression profile. However, the extent to which gene expression profiles can be correlated with functional cell types and circuit organization remains an open question. In this review, we focus on recent progress in characterizing the sensory afferent and dorsal horn neuron cell types that process cutaneous somatosensory information and ongoing circuit studies that are beginning to bridge the divide between cell type and function.

中文翻译：

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体感系统中的神经元多样性：弥合细胞类型与功能之间的鸿沟。

最近对小鼠进行的一系列遗传学研究提供了关于如何在细胞水平上组织体感系统以编码瘙痒，疼痛，温度和触觉的重要见解。这些研究很大程度上是基于这样的想法，即功能细胞类型可以通过其独特的发育来源和基因表达谱来鉴定。然而，基因表达谱与功能性细胞类型和电路组织的相关程度仍是一个悬而未决的问题。在这篇综述中，我们专注于表征处理皮肤体感信息的感觉传入和背角神经元细胞类型的最新进展，以及正在进行的电路研究，这些研究开始弥合细胞类型与功能之间的鸿沟。