Cell-specific effects of acute sleep deprivation on transcriptomic signatures of non-neuronal cells in the mouse hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

Junko Kasuya; Yutong Wang; Yann Vanrobaeys; Marcos Frank; Ted Abel

doi:10.64898/2026.01.29.702391

Back

Cell-specific effects of acute sleep deprivation on transcriptomic signatures of non-neuronal cells in the mouse hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

Preprint

Open access

Cell-specific effects of acute sleep deprivation on transcriptomic signatures of non-neuronal cells in the mouse hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

Junko Kasuya, Yutong Wang, Yann Vanrobaeys, Marcos Frank and Ted Abel

bioRxiv

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

02/03/2026

DOI: 10.64898/2026.01.29.702391

PMID: 41676496

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.29.702391View

Preprint (Author's original)This preprint has not been evaluated by subject experts through peer review. Preprints may undergo extensive changes and/or become peer-reviewed journal articles. Open Access

Abstract

Sleep is essential for maintaining cognitive, emotional, metabolic, and immune functions. Although research on sleep homeostasis is traditionally neuron-centric, increasing evidence indicates non-neuronal cells also play critical roles. In this study, we performed transcriptomic analyses of non-neuronal nuclei from the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of mice subjected to acute sleep deprivation (SD). We found that acute SD induces robust, cell-type- and region-specific transcriptional reprogramming in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The most pronounced changes occurred in astrocytes, including downregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis genes in both brain regions, accompanied by region-specific and opposing regulation of genes involved in mitochondrial function and neurodegeneration-related pathways. Notably, genes associated with primary cilia were selectively induced in cortical astrocytes. In oligodendrocytes, acute SD led to downregulation of genes encoding cell-adhesion molecules. Together, these findings provide molecular evidence that non-neuronal cells actively contribute to sleep regulation and suggest novel potential mechanisms that broaden our understanding of sleep homeostasis.

acute sleep deprivation

non-neuronal cells

hippocampus

cadherin 2

cholesterol synthesis

mitochondria

prefrontal cortex

primary cilia

oligodendrocytes

astrocytes

single nuclei RNAseq

Details

Title: Subtitle: Cell-specific effects of acute sleep deprivation on transcriptomic signatures of non-neuronal cells in the mouse hippocampus and prefrontal cortex
Creators: Junko Kasuya - University of Iowa
Yutong Wang - University of Iowa
Yann Vanrobaeys - University of Iowa
Marcos Frank - Washington State University Spokane
Ted Abel - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Preprint
Publication Details: bioRxiv
DOI: 10.64898/2026.01.29.702391
PMID: 41676496
NLM abbreviation: bioRxiv
ISSN: 2692-8205
eISSN: 2692-8205
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; United States
Grant note: P30 CA086862 / NCI NIH HHS R01 AG062398 / NIA NIH HHS R01 NS114780 / NINDS NIH HHS
Language: English
Date posted: 02/03/2026
Academic Unit: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics; Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Neuroscience and Pharmacology; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Record Identifier: 9985139495202771

Metrics

2 Record Views