Mapping cell-type- and age-dependent neuronal vulnerability through genome-wide in vivo CRISPRi screens in the mouse brain.
TL;DR
A scalable, cell-type-resolved in vivo CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) platform enabling systematic gene function profiling in the mouse brain is developed and the CRISPRinvivo data portal is established as a community resource for in vivo screening.
Abstract
Current brain atlases are largely descriptive, cataloging correlative molecular snapshots such as gene expression signatures yet offering limited functional insight. Here, we develop a scalable, cell-type-resolved in vivo CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) platform enabling systematic gene function profiling in the mouse brain. Through genome-wide screens across four neuronal populations at three time points spanning youth to aging, we identify neuronal essential genes missed in vitro and define a consensus set of 269 neuronal core essential genes. The data reveal cell-type-specific genetic vulnerabilities, including divergent dependencies validated for exosome component 9 (Exosc9) and osteopetrosis-associated transmembrane protein 1 (Ostm1) between excitatory and inhibitory neurons. We uncover aging-specific dependencies enriched in mitochondrial and translational pathways, aligning with transcriptional changes in the aging human brain. Finally, we establish the CRISPRinvivo data portal as a community resource for in vivo screening. Altogether, this work provides a broadly applicable platform for in vivo functional genomics and a framework for building comprehensive gene-function brain atlases.