Anatomical and molecular characterization of parvalbumin-cholecystokinin co-expressing inhibitory interneurons: implications for neuropsychiatric conditions

Inhibitory interneurons are crucial to brain function and their dysfunction is implicated in neuropsychiatric conditions. Emerging evidence indicates that cholecystokinin (CCK)-expressing interneurons (CCK+) are highly heterogenous. We find that a large subset of parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) interneurons express CCK strongly; between 40 and 56% of PV+ interneurons in mouse hippocampal CA1 express CCK. Primate interneurons also exhibit substantial PV/CCK co-expression. Mouse PV+/CCK+ and PV+/CCK- cells show distinguishable electrophysiological and molecular characteristics. Analysis of single nuclei RNA-seq and ATAC-seq data shows that PV+/CCK+ cells are a subset of PV+ cells, not of synuclein gamma positive (SNCG+) cells, and that they strongly express oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes. We find that mitochondrial complex I and IV-associated OXPHOS gene expression is strongly correlated with CCK expression in PV+ interneurons at both the transcriptomic and protein levels. Both PV+ interneurons and dysregulation of OXPHOS processes are implicated in neuropsychiatric conditions, including autism spectrum (ASD) disorder and schizophrenia (SCZ). Analysis of human brain samples from patients with these conditions shows alterations in OXPHOS gene expression. Together these data reveal important molecular characteristics of PV-CCK co-expressing interneurons and support their implication in neuropsychiatric conditions.