A cellular and spatial map of the choroid plexus across brain ventricles and ages

Abstract

The choroid plexus (ChP), located in each brain ventricle, produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and forms the blood-CSF barrier, but is under-characterized. Here, we combine single cell RNA-Seq and spatial mapping of RNA and proteins to construct an atlas of each ChP in the developing and adult mouse brain. Each ChP comprises of epithelial, endothelial, mesenchymal, immune, neuronal, and glial cells, with distinct subtypes, differentiation states and anatomical locations. Epithelial, fibroblast, and macrophage populations had ventricle-specific, regionalized gene expression programs across the developing brain. Key cell types are retained in adult, with loss of developmental signatures and maturation of ventricle-specific regionalization in the epithelial cells. Expression of cognate ligand-receptor pairs across cell subtypes suggests substantial cell-cell interactions within the ChP. Our atlas sheds new light on the development and function of the ChP brain barrier system, and will facilitate future studies on its role in brain development, homeostasis and disease.