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Single-cell genetic and epigenetic analyses parse the brain’s billions of neurons into thousands of “cell-type” clusters, each residing in different brain structures. Many of these cell types mediate their unique functions by virtue of targeted long-distance axonal projections to allow interactions between specific cell types. Here we have used Epi-Retro-Seq to link single cell epigenomes and associated cell types to their long-distance projections for 33,034 neurons dissected from 32 different source regions projecting to 24 different targets (225 source →target combinations) across the whole mouse brain. We highlight uses of this large data set for interrogating both overarching principles relating projection cell types to their transcriptomic and epigenomic properties and for addressing and developing specific hypotheses about cell types and connections as they relate to genetics. We provide an overall synthesis of the data set with 926 statistical comparisons of the discriminability of neurons projecting to each target for every dissected source region. We integrate this dataset into the larger, annotated BICCN cell type atlas composed of millions of neurons to link projection cell types to consensus clusters. Integration with spatial transcriptomic data further assigns projection-enriched clusters to much smaller source regions than afforded by the original dissections. We exemplify these capabilities by presenting in-depth analyses of neurons with identified projections from the hypothalamus, thalamus, hindbrain, amygdala, and midbrain to provide new insights into the properties of those cell types, including differentially expressed genes, their associated cis-regulatory elements and transcription factor binding motifs, and neurotransmitter usage.

Cytosine DNA methylation is essential in brain development and has been implicated in various neurological disorders. A comprehensive understanding of DNA methylation diversity across the entire brain in the context of the brain’s 3D spatial organization is essential for building a complete molecular atlas of brain cell types and understanding their gene regulatory landscapes. To this end, we employed optimized single-nucleus methylome (snmC-seq3) and multi-omic (snm3C-seq1) sequencing technologies to generate 301,626 methylomes and 176,003 chromatin conformation/methylome joint profiles from 117 dissected regions throughout the adult mouse brain. Using iterative clustering and integrating with companion whole-brain transcriptome and chromatin accessibility datasets, we constructed a methylation-based cell type taxonomy that contains 4,673 cell groups and 261 cross-modality-annotated subclasses. We identified millions of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) across the genome, representing potential gene regulation elements. Notably, we observed spatial cytosine methylation patterns on both genes and regulatory elements in cell types within and across brain regions. Brain-wide multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH2) data validated the association of this spatial epigenetic diversity with transcription and allowed the mapping of the DNA methylation and topology information into anatomical structures more precisely than our dissections. Furthermore, multi-scale chromatin conformation diversities occur in important neuronal genes, highly associated with DNA methylation and transcription changes. Brain-wide cell type comparison allowed us to build a regulatory model for each gene, linking transcription factors, DMRs, chromatin contacts, and downstream genes to establish regulatory networks. Finally, intragenic DNA methylation and chromatin conformation patterns predicted alternative gene isoform expression observed in a companion whole-brain SMART-seq3dataset. Our study establishes the first brain-wide, single-cell resolution DNA methylome and 3D multi-omic atlas, providing an unparalleled resource for comprehending the mouse brain’s cellular-spatial and regulatory genome diversity.

Delineating the gene regulatory programs underlying complex cell types is fundamental for understanding brain functions in health and disease. Here, we comprehensively examine human brain cell epigenomes by probing DNA methylation and chromatin conformation at single-cell resolution in over 500,000 cells from 46 brain regions. We identified 188 cell types and characterized their molecular signatures. Integrative analyses revealed concordant changes in DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility, chromatin organization, and gene expression across cell types, cortical areas, and basal ganglia structures. With these resources, we developed scMCodes that reliably predict brain cell types using their methylation status at select genomic sites. This multimodal epigenomic brain cell atlas provides new insights into the complexity of cell type-specific gene regulation in the adult human brain.

The primary motor cortex (M1) is essential for voluntary fine motor control and is functionally conserved across mammals. Using high-throughput transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of over 450,000 single nuclei in human, marmoset monkey, and mouse, we demonstrate a broadly conserved cellular makeup of this region, whose similarity mirrors evolutionary distance and is consistent between the transcriptome and epigenome. The core conserved molecular identity of neuronal and non-neuronal types allowed the generation of a cross-species consensus cell type classification and inference of conserved cell type properties across species. Despite overall conservation, many species specializations were apparent, including differences in cell type proportions, gene expression, DNA methylation, and chromatin state. Few cell type marker genes were conserved across species, providing a short list of candidate genes and regulatory mechanisms responsible for conserved features of homologous cell types, such as the GABAergic chandelier cells. This consensus transcriptomic classification allowed the Patch-seq identification of layer 5 (L5) corticospinal Betz cells in non-human primate and human and characterization of their highly specialized physiology and anatomy. These findings highlight the robust molecular underpinnings of cell type diversity in M1 across mammals and point to the genes and regulatory pathways responsible for the functional identity of cell types and their species-specific adaptations.