The authors acknowledge U19 AI157984, U01 DK103168, U19 AI144297, P30 DK56338, P01 AI057788, U19 AI116497 grants and NASA Cooperative Agreement Notice/TRISH NNX16AO69A.

The organoid lines used here were obtained from the Texas Medical Center Digestive Disease Center GEMS Core. Briefly, to initially establish organoid lines, donor tissue samples were washed and enzymatically digested to release the intestinal crypts. Crypts were embedded in a basement membrane and cultured in a medium. The Institutional Review Board at Baylor College of Medicine approved the study protocol to obtain tissue samples from which organoid lines were established, and informed consent was obtained from all dono...

Integrating Single-Cell Transcriptomics with Human Intestinal Organoids

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W., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Organization+of+the+human+intestine+at+single-cell+resolution.">Organization of the human intestine at single-cell resolution.</a> Nature. 619 (7970), 572-584 (2023).</li><li>Burclaff, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+proximal-to-distal+survey+of+healthy+adult+human+small+intestine+and+colon+epithelium+by+single-cell+transcriptomics.">A proximal-to-distal survey of healthy adult human small intestine and colon epithelium by single-cell transcriptomics.</a> Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 13 (5), 1554-1589 (2022).</li><li>Triana, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Single-cell+transcriptomics+reveals+immune+response+of+intestinal+cell+types+to+viral+infection.">Single-cell transcriptomics reveals immune response of intestinal cell types to viral infection.</a> Mol Syst Biol. 17 (7), e9833 (2021).</li><li>Triana, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Single-cell+analyses+reveal+SARS-CoV-2+interference+with+intrinsic+immune+response+in+the+human+gut.">Single-cell analyses reveal SARS-CoV-2 interference with intrinsic immune response in the human gut.</a> Mol Syst Biol. 17 (4), e10232 (2021).</li><li>Fujii, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Human+intestinal+organoids+maintain+self-renewal+capacity+and+cellular+diversity+in+niche-inspired+culture+condition.">Human intestinal organoids maintain self-renewal capacity and cellular diversity in niche-inspired culture condition.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 23 (6), 787-793 (2021).</li><li>Beumer, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=BMP+gradient+along+the+intestinal+villus+axis+controls+zonated+enterocyte+and+goblet+cell+states.">BMP gradient along the intestinal villus axis controls zonated enterocyte and goblet cell states.</a> Cell Rep. 38 (9), 110438 (2022).</li><li>Beumer, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-resolution+mRNA+and+secretome+atlas+of+human+enteroendocrine+cells.">High-resolution mRNA and secretome atlas of human enteroendocrine cells.</a> Cell. 182 (4), 1062-1064 (2020).</li><li>Busslinger, G. 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Using single cell genomics platforms, complex biological systems, such as tissue derived HIO cultures that model the intestinal epithelium, can be broken down to yield individual cellular contributions to overall biological response4,5,6. Cellular heterogeneity and rare cell populations can also be identified and interrogated. Cellular input needs to be optimized to maximize output using single cell transcriptomic-based platform...

The small intestinal epithelium has two distinct zones: the crypt that houses the intestinal stem cell (ISC) and the villus, which is comprised of differentiated cells of the secretory and absorptive lineages. Adding to this complexity is the regional specificity of the epithelium that provides unique functional properties between the regions of the small intestine. Pioneering work established culture conditions in which both the human small intestinal crypt and villus zones can be generated ex vivo from surgical tissues or tissue biopsies1. These cultures are bridging the gap between animal studies and clinical trials and are revealing previously unrecognized cell biology, biochemistry, and physiology of the gastrointestinal tract. The HIOs are propagated as 3D spherical structures using a media with growth factors that promote stem cell viability and extracellular support matrices. These conditions result in a crypt-like HIO model that consists mostly of progenitors and stem cells. Removal of the growth factors promotes ISC differentiation (villus-like model) and production of mature intestinal epithelial cells (goblet, enteroendocrine, tuft, enterocyte) in appropriate ratios along with cell proliferation and differentiation, polarization, barrier integrity, regional specific features, and appropriate physiological responses2. HIO cultures are genetically stable and can be propagated indefinitely in their crypt-like state. Easy access to the apical surface of these cultures is provided by culture conditions that allow growth in a monolayer format3. HIOs also allow considerations of host individual variability such as genetics, age, sex, ethnicity, and disease status to be included in biological analyses. Analytic and functional assessment tools are identical to those used in approaches centered on transformed cell lines and include a variety of molecular techniques such as flow cytometry, microscopy, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.
Single cell transcriptomics is revolutionizing our understanding of the biology and physiology of the small intestine by providing insight into the individual contributions of each cell type to a biological process. Pioneering work using this technology has provided a landscape of the cell types present in the native human intestine4,5,6. Single cell transcriptional profiling platforms allow exploration of the transcriptional landscape of individual cells, allowing cell heterogeneity to come to the forefront of scientific exploration. In some single cell transcriptional profiling platforms, microfluidic partitioning and barcoding are used to generate cDNA libraries from cellular polyadenylated mRNAs obtained from up to 10,000 cells per sample. On this platform, droplets containing single cells, barcoded oligonucleotides, reverse transcription reagents, and oil form a reaction vesicle that results in all cDNAs from a single cell having the same barcode. The barcoded cDNAs can then be efficiently sequenced using next generation sequencing. Data generated can be handled through software and visualization tools, which convert the barcoded sequences into visualization maps and single cell transcriptional profiles. Cell populations can be identified using publicly available databases of human small intestinal epithelium4,5,6. Although many studies have utilized this platform to interrogate murine intestinal organoids at the single cell level, the analysis of single cell transcriptional responses of HIOs has lagged behind7,8,9,10,11,12.
Here, we provide a step-by-step guide to isolating viable cells from small intestinal HIOs for processing on single cell transcriptional profiling platforms (Figure 1). We provide culturing and differentiation guidelines along with media components that have been optimized for epithelial differentiation. We outline cell recovery methods for three different culture formats: three dimensional (3D) and monolayer cultures either on plastic or on membrane cell culture inserts. We provide sample clustering data obtained using open-source software to derive differentially expressed genes in each cluster.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>[Leu15]-Gastrin I</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G9145</td>
			<td>10 nM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.05% Trypsin-EDTA</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>25300054</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.4% Trypan blue</td>
			<td>Millipore-Sigma</td>
			<td>T8154</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.5 M EDTA</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>46-034-CI</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1x PBS Ca- Mg-</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>21-040-CM</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24 mm Transwell</td>
			<td>Costar</td>
			<td>3412</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24 well Nunclon delta surface tissue culture dish</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>142475</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>40 &#181;m cell strainer</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>352340</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>40 &#181;m Flowmi tip strainer</td>
			<td>SP Bel-Art Labware</td>
			<td>H13680-0040</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>70 &#181;m Flowmi tip strainer</td>
			<td>SP Bel-Art Labware</td>
			<td>H13680-0070</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>96 well plate</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3595</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>A-83-01</td>
			<td>Tocris</td>
			<td>2939</td>
			<td>500 nM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Accutase</td>
			<td>StemCell Technologies</td>
			<td>7920</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Advanced DMEM/F12</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>12634-028</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B27 supplement</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>17504-044</td>
			<td>1X</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Chromium Next GEM Single Cell 3&#8217; GEM, Library &#38; Gel Bead Kit v3.1</td>
			<td>10x Genomics</td>
			<td>PN-1000128</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Collagen IV</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>C5533-5MG</td>
			<td>33 &#181;g/mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Corning Cell Recovery Solution&#160;</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>354253</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DPBS (Mg2-, Ca2-)</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>14190-136</td>
			<td>1X</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GlutaMAX-I</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>35050-061</td>
			<td>2 mM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEPES 1M</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>15630-080</td>
			<td>10 mM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-WRN conditioned media</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>CRL-3276</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Matrigel, GFR, phenol free</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>356231</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>mouse recombinant EGF</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>PMG8043</td>
			<td>50 ng/mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>N2 supplement</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>17502-048</td>
			<td>1X</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>N-Acetylcysteine</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A9165-5G</td>
			<td>500 &#181;M</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nicotinamide</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>N0636</td>
			<td>10 mM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SB202190</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>S7067</td>
			<td>10 &#181;M</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transwell</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3413</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Y27632</td>
			<td>Stem Cell Technologies</td>
			<td>72308</td>
			<td>10 &#181;M</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

using human intestinal organoids to understand the small intestine epithelium at the single cell transcriptional level

Single cell transcriptomics has revolutionized our understanding of the cell biology of the human body. State-of-the-art human small intestinal organoid cultures provide ex vivo model systems that bridge the gap between animal models and clinical studies. The application of single cell transcriptomics to human intestinal organoid (HIO) models is revealing previously unrecognized cell biology, biochemistry, and physiology of the GI tract. The advanced single cell transcriptomics platforms use microfluidic partitioning and barcoding to generate cDNA libraries. These barcoded cDNAs can be easily sequenced by next generation sequencing platforms and used by various visualization tools to generate maps. Here, we describe methods to culture and differentiate human small intestinal HIOs in different formats and procedures for isolating viable cells from these formats that are suitable for use in single-cell transcriptional profiling platforms. These protocols and procedures facilitate the use of small intestinal HIOs to obtain an increased understanding of the cellular response of human intestinal epithelium at the transcriptional level in the context of a variety of different environments.

Author Spotlight: Integrating Single-Cell Transcriptomics with Organoid Cultures for Advanced Research and Therapeutic Insights

Using Human Intestinal Organoids to Understand the Small Intestine Epithelium at the Single Cell Transcriptional Level

We are integrating single-cell transcriptomics and organoid technology to better understand the biology of the small intestine. These technologies are allowing us deeper insight into the cellular heterogeneity that exists within that tissue. The tools that improve the throughput, sensitivity, and the resolutions are the keys that advanced research in the field.Some examples are improved computational methods and the technological innovations. Cost reductions also a major focus. The process of preparing and sequencing the libraries of samples can cause transcription variations, which is one challenge.For organoids, specific challenges include limited spatial context or information about temporal dynamics. Single-cell analysis of the human intestinal organoids provides previously unattainable information into the cell types that make up the intestinal epithelium. This, thereby, opens the window to the transcriptional landscape of those cells.We are using these technologies to identify biomarkers and mechanisms of human intestinal diseases. These biomarkers and mechanisms will advance our ability to utilize personalized medicine-based approaches to treat human disease and improve human health overall.

Single-cell suspensions were pooled from 2-3 wells of membrane cell culture insert, monolayer, and 3D HIOs to ensure sufficient cell yield and reduce well-to-well variation. Single cell libraries were prepared using reagents specific to the single cell transcriptional profiling platform. and sequenced with paired end reads on a next generation sequencing platform, 30,000 reads/cell. Reads were mapped, counted, and analyzed using analytical tools for single cell genomics. Low-quality cells with more than 20% mitochondrial...

The protocol combines human intestinal organoid technology with single cell transcriptomic analysis to provide significant insight into previously unexplored intestinal biology.

Single cell transcriptomics has revolutionized our understanding of the cell biology of the human body. State-of-the-art human small intestinal organoid ...

using-human-intestinal-organoids-to-understand-small-intestine