Protoplasmic astrocytes in layers II to VI of the mammalian neocortex have historically been thought to comprise a homogeneous population. Given that layer-specific neuronal subtypes play essential roles in cortical circuitry, astrocytes might also be expected to support and modify this circuitry in a layer-specific manner. In order to investigate whether protoplasmic astrocytes exhibit layer-specific heterogeneity, we compared the gene expression profiles of astrocytes between upper layers (layers II to IV) and deep layers (layers V and VI). Although most genes known to be preferentially expressed in astrocytes (astrocyte-enriched genes) were equally expressed between upper-layer astrocytes and deep-layer astrocytes, some such genes (astrocyte-enriched genes or genes with known function in astrocytes) were significantly enriched in upper-layer astrocytes or deep-layer astrocytes. SOURCE: Yukiko Gotoh University of Tokyo

Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE111916: Layer-specific molecular expression in neocortical astrocytes