Dataset Information

Cholangiocyte organoids can repair bile ducts after transplantation in the human liver.

ABSTRACT: Organoid technology holds great promise for regenerative medicine but has not yet been applied to humans. We address this challenge using cholangiocyte organoids in the context of cholangiopathies, which represent a key reason for liver transplantation. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we show that primary human cholangiocytes display transcriptional diversity that is lost in organoid culture. However, cholangiocyte organoids remain plastic and resume their in vivo signatures when transplanted back in the biliary tree. We then utilize a model of cell engraftment in human livers undergoing ex vivo normothermic perfusion to demonstrate that this property allows extrahepatic organoids to repair human intrahepatic ducts after transplantation. Our results provide proof of principle that cholangiocyte organoids can be used to repair human biliary epithelium.

SUBMITTER: Sampaziotis F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7610478 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:The well-established 3D organoid culture method enabled efficient expansion of cholangiocyte-like cells from intrahepatic (IHBD) and extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) tissue biopsies. The extensive expansion capacity of these organoids enables various applications, from cholangiocyte disease modelling to bile duct tissue engineering. Recent research demonstrated the feasibility of culturing cholangiocyte organoids from bile, which was minimal-invasive collected via endoscopic retrograde pancreaticography (ERCP). However, a detailed analysis of these bile cholangiocyte organoids (BCOs) and the cellular region of origin was not yet demonstrated. In this study, we characterize BCOs and mirror them to the already established organoids initiated from IHBD- and EHBD-tissue. We demonstrate successful organoid-initiation from extrahepatic bile collected from gallbladder after resection and by ERCP or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiopathy from a variety of patients. BCOs initiated from these three sources of bile all show features similar to in vivo cholangiocytes. The regional-specific characteristics of the BCOs are reflected by the exclusive expression of regional common bile duct genes (HOXB2 and HOXB3) by ERCP-derived BCOs and gallbladder-derived BCOs expressing gallbladder-specific genes. Moreover, BCOs have limited hepatocyte-fate differentiation potential compared to intrahepatic cholangiocyte organoids. These results indicate that organoid-initiating cells in bile are likely of local (extrahepatic) origin and are not of intrahepatic origin. Regarding the functionality of organoid initiating cells in bile, we demonstrate that BCOs efficiently repopulate decellularized EHBD scaffolds and restore the monolayer of cholangiocyte-like cells in vitro. Bile samples obtained through minimally invasive procedures provide a safe and effective alternative source of cholangiocyte organoids. The shedding of (organoid-initiating) cholangiocytes in bile provides a convenient source of organoids for regenerative medicine.

Project description:Cholangiopathies, which affect extrahepatic bile ducts (EHBDs), include biliary atresia, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and cholangiocarcinoma. They have no effective therapeutic options. Tools to study EHBD are very limited. Our purpose was to develop an organ-specific, versatile, adult stem cell-derived, preclinical cholangiocyte model that can be easily generated from wild type and genetically engineered mice. Thus, we report on the novel technique of developing an EHBD organoid (EHBDO) culture system from adult mouse EHBDs. The model is cost-efficient, able to be readily analyzed, and has multiple downstream applications. Specifically, we describe the methodology of mouse EHBD isolation and single cell dissociation, organoid culture initiation, propagation, and long-term maintenance and storage. This manuscript also describes EHBDO processing for immunohistochemistry, fluorescent microscopy, and mRNA abundance quantitation by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). This protocol has significant advantages in addition to producing EHBD-specific organoids. The use of a conditioned medium from L-WRN cells significantly reduces the cost of this model. The use of mouse EHBDs provides almost unlimited tissue for culture generation, unlike human tissue. Generated mouse EHBDOs contain a pure population of epithelial cells with markers of endodermal progenitor and differentiated biliary cells. Cultured organoids maintain homogenous morphology through multiple passages and can be recovered after a long-term storage period in liquid nitrogen. The model allows for the study of biliary progenitor cell proliferation, can be manipulated pharmacologically, and may be generated from genetically engineered mice. Future studies are needed to optimize culture conditions in order to increase plating efficiency, evaluate functional cell maturity, and direct cell differentiation. Development of co-culture models and a more biologically neutral extracellular matrix are also desirable.

Dataset Information

Cholangiocyte organoids can repair bile ducts after transplantation in the human liver.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets