A single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomic atlas of the Syrian hamster preoptic area across hibernation states

Although the preoptic area has been implicated in the regulation of hibernation, comprehensive molecular and spatial resources for this brain region in hibernating mammals remain limited. Here, we present an integrated transcriptomic resource of the preoptic area generated using single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and Xenium-based spatial transcriptomics in a mammalian hibernator, Syrian hamster.

The resource includes cross-species transcriptomic annotations relative to mouse preoptic area datasets, seasonal snRNA-seq datasets obtained under non-hibernating and hibernating conditions, and spatially resolved cell-type annotations generated from Xenium profiling. Together, these datasets provide a reference framework for identifying neuronal populations, examining molecular conservation across species and conditions, and integrating transcriptomic identity with spatial organization.