1
|
Dowbaj AM, Kohler TN, Cordero-Espinoza L, Hollfelder F, Huch M. Generation of liver mesenchyme and ductal cell organoid co-culture using cell self-aggregation and droplet microfluidics. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102333. [PMID: 37270780 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the peri-portal region of the adult liver, portal fibroblasts exist in close proximity to epithelial ductal/cholangiocyte cells. However, the cellular interactions between them are poorly understood. Here, we provide two co-culture techniques to incorporate liver portal mesenchyme into ductal cell organoids, which recapitulate aspects of their cellular interactions in vitro. We integrate several techniques from mesenchyme isolation and expansion to co-culture by microfluidic cell co-encapsulation or 2D-Matrigel layer. The protocol is easily adaptable to other cells from other organs. For complete information on the generation and use of this protocol, please refer to Cordero-Espinoza et al.1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Dowbaj
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Timo N Kohler
- Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Lucía Cordero-Espinoza
- Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Florian Hollfelder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Meritxell Huch
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany; Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cordero-Espinoza L, Dowbaj AM, Kohler TN, Strauss B, Sarlidou O, Belenguer G, Pacini C, Martins NP, Dobie R, Wilson-Kanamori JR, Butler R, Prior N, Serup P, Jug F, Henderson NC, Hollfelder F, Huch M. Dynamic cell contacts between periportal mesenchyme and ductal epithelium act as a rheostat for liver cell proliferation. Cell Stem Cell 2021; 28:1907-1921.e8. [PMID: 34343491 PMCID: PMC8577825 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In the liver, ductal cells rarely proliferate during homeostasis but do so transiently after tissue injury. These cells can be expanded as organoids that recapitulate several of the cell-autonomous mechanisms of regeneration but lack the stromal interactions of the native tissue. Here, using organoid co-cultures that recapitulate the ductal-to-mesenchymal cell architecture of the portal tract, we demonstrate that a subpopulation of mouse periportal mesenchymal cells exerts dual control on proliferation of the epithelium. Ductal cell proliferation is either induced and sustained or, conversely, completely abolished, depending on the number of direct mesenchymal cell contacts, through a mechanism mediated, at least in part, by Notch signaling. Our findings expand the concept of the cellular niche in epithelial tissues, whereby not only soluble factors but also cell-cell contacts are the key regulatory cues involved in the control of cellular behaviors, suggesting a critical role for cell-cell contacts during regeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Cordero-Espinoza
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Anna M Dowbaj
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Timo N Kohler
- Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Bernhard Strauss
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Olga Sarlidou
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
| | - German Belenguer
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Clare Pacini
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Nuno P Martins
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Ross Dobie
- Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - John R Wilson-Kanamori
- Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Richard Butler
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Nicole Prior
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Palle Serup
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Florian Jug
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Neil C Henderson
- Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK; MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Florian Hollfelder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Meritxell Huch
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Aloia L, McKie MA, Vernaz G, Cordero-Espinoza L, Aleksieva N, van den Ameele J, Antonica F, Font-Cunill B, Raven A, Aiese Cigliano R, Belenguer G, Mort RL, Brand AH, Zernicka-Goetz M, Forbes SJ, Miska EA, Huch M. Epigenetic remodelling licences adult cholangiocytes for organoid formation and liver regeneration. Nat Cell Biol 2019; 21:1321-1333. [PMID: 31685987 PMCID: PMC6940196 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-019-0402-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Following severe or chronic liver injury, adult ductal cells (cholangiocytes) contribute to regeneration by restoring both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. We recently showed that ductal cells clonally expand as self-renewing liver organoids that retain their differentiation capacity into both hepatocytes and ductal cells. However, the molecular mechanisms by which adult ductal-committed cells acquire cellular plasticity, initiate organoids and regenerate the damaged tissue remain largely unknown. Here, we describe that ductal cells undergo a transient, genome-wide, remodelling of their transcriptome and epigenome during organoid initiation and in vivo following tissue damage. TET1-mediated hydroxymethylation licences differentiated ductal cells to initiate organoids and activate the regenerative programme through the transcriptional regulation of stem-cell genes and regenerative pathways including the YAP-Hippo signalling. Our results argue in favour of the remodelling of genomic methylome/hydroxymethylome landscapes as a general mechanism by which differentiated cells exit a committed state in response to tissue damage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Aloia
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mikel Alexander McKie
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Grégoire Vernaz
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Lucía Cordero-Espinoza
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Niya Aleksieva
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jelle van den Ameele
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Francesco Antonica
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Berta Font-Cunill
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alexander Raven
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - German Belenguer
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Richard L Mort
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK
| | - Andrea H Brand
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Stuart J Forbes
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Eric A Miska
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Meritxell Huch
- The Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
Epithelial cell loss alters a tissue's optimal function and awakens evolutionarily adapted healing mechanisms to reestablish homeostasis. Although adult mammalian organs have a limited regeneration potential, the liver stands out as one remarkable exception. Following injury, the liver mounts a dynamic multicellular response wherein stromal cells are activated in situ and/or recruited from the bloodstream, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is remodeled, and epithelial cells expand to replenish their lost numbers. Chronic damage makes this response persistent instead of transient, tipping the system into an abnormal steady state known as fibrosis, in which ECM accumulates excessively and tissue function degenerates. Here we explore the cellular and molecular switches that balance hepatic regeneration and fibrosis, with a focus on uncovering avenues of disease modeling and therapeutic intervention.
Collapse
|
5
|
Flores JV, Cordero-Espinoza L, Oeztuerk-Winder F, Andersson-Rolf A, Selmi T, Blanco S, Tailor J, Dietmann S, Frye M. Cytosine-5 RNA Methylation Regulates Neural Stem Cell Differentiation and Motility. Stem Cell Reports 2017; 8:112-124. [PMID: 28041877 PMCID: PMC5233436 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Revised: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss-of-function mutations in the cytosine-5 RNA methylase NSUN2 cause neurodevelopmental disorders in humans, yet the underlying cellular processes leading to the symptoms that include microcephaly remain unclear. Here, we show that NSUN2 is expressed in early neuroepithelial progenitors of the developing human brain, and its expression is gradually reduced during differentiation of human neuroepithelial stem (NES) cells in vitro. In the developing Nsun2-/- mouse cerebral cortex, intermediate progenitors accumulate and upper-layer neurons decrease. Loss of NSUN2-mediated methylation of tRNA increases their endonucleolytic cleavage by angiogenin, and 5' tRNA fragments accumulate in Nsun2-/- brains. Neural differentiation of NES cells is impaired by both NSUN2 depletion and the presence of angiogenin. Since repression of NSUN2 also inhibited neural cell migration toward the chemoattractant fibroblast growth factor 2, we conclude that the impaired differentiation capacity in the absence of NSUN2 may be driven by the inability to efficiently respond to growth factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joana V Flores
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Lucía Cordero-Espinoza
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Feride Oeztuerk-Winder
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Amanda Andersson-Rolf
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Tommaso Selmi
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Sandra Blanco
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Jignesh Tailor
- Department of Neurosurgery, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK
| | - Sabine Dietmann
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Michaela Frye
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hindley CJ, Cordero-Espinoza L, Huch M. Organoids from adult liver and pancreas: Stem cell biology and biomedical utility. Dev Biol 2016; 420:251-261. [PMID: 27364469 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 06/26/2016] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The liver and pancreas are critical organs maintaining whole body metabolism. Historically, the expansion of adult-derived cells from these organs in vitro has proven challenging and this in turn has hampered studies of liver and pancreas stem cell biology, as well as being a roadblock to disease modelling and cell replacement therapies for pathologies in these organs. Recently, defined culture conditions have been described which allow the in vitro culture and manipulation of adult-derived liver and pancreatic material. Here we review these systems and assess their physiological relevance, as well as their potential utility in biomedicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Hindley
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; The Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Lucía Cordero-Espinoza
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Meritxell Huch
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Cordero-Espinoza L, Hagen T. Increased concentrations of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate contribute to the Warburg effect in phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-deficient cells. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:36020-8. [PMID: 24169697 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.510289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike normal differentiated cells, tumor cells metabolize glucose via glycolysis under aerobic conditions, a hallmark of cancer known as the Warburg effect. Cells lacking the commonly mutated tumor suppressor PTEN exhibit a glycolytic phenotype reminiscent of the Warburg effect. This has been traditionally attributed to the hyperactivation of PI3K/Akt signaling that results from PTEN loss. Here, we propose a novel mechanism whereby the loss of PTEN negatively affects the activity of the E3 ligase APC/C-Cdh1, resulting in the stabilization of the enzyme PFKFB3 and increased synthesis of its product fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (F2,6P2). We discovered that when compared with wild-type cells, PTEN knock-out mouse embryonic fibroblasts (PTEN KO MEF) have 2-3-fold higher concentrations of F2,6P2, the most potent allosteric activator of the glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1). Reintroduction of either wild-type or phosphatase mutant PTEN in the PTEN KO cells effectively lowers F2,6P2 to the wild-type levels and reduces their lactate production. PTEN KO cells were found to have high protein levels of PFKFB3, which directly contribute to the increased concentrations of F2,6P2. PTEN enhances interaction between PFKFB3 and Cdh1, and overexpression of Cdh1 down-regulates the PFKFB3 protein level in wild-type, but not in PTEN-deficient cells. Importantly, we found that the degradation of endogenous PFKFB3 in PTEN KO cells occurs at a slower rate than in wild-type cells. Our results suggest an important role for F2,6P2 in the metabolic reprogramming of PTEN-deficient cells that has important consequences for cell proliferation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Cordero-Espinoza
- From the Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
| | | |
Collapse
|