Comparative Study of Basement-Membrane Matrices for Human Stem Cell Maintenance and Intestinal Organoid Generation

Summary

Organoids have become valuable tools for disease modeling. The extracellular matrix (ECM) guides cell fate during organoid generation, and using a system that resembles the native tissue can improve model accuracy. This study compares the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells-derived human intestinal organoids in animal-derived ECM and xeno-free hydrogels.

Abstract

Extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role in cell behavior and development. Organoids generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are in the spotlight of many research areas. However, the lack of physiological cues in classical cell culture materials hinders efficient iPSC differentiation. Incorporating commercially available ECM into stem cell culture provides physical and chemical cues beneficial for cell maintenance. Animal-derived commercially available basement membrane products are composed of ECM proteins and growth factors that support cell maintenance. Since the ECM holds tissue-specific properties that can modulate cell fate, xeno-free matrices are used to stream up translation to clinical studies. While commercially available matrices are widely used in hiPSC and organoid work, the equivalency of these matrices has not been evaluated yet. Here, a comparative study of hiPSC maintenance and human intestinal organoids (hIO) generation in four different matrices: Matrigel (Matrix 1-AB), Geltrex (Matrix 2-AB), Cultrex (Matrix 3-AB), and VitroGel (Matrix 4-XF) was conducted. Although the colonies lacked a perfectly round shape, there was minimal spontaneous differentiation, with over 85% of the cells expressing the stem cell marker SSEA-4. Matrix 4-XF led to the formation of 3D round clumps. Also, increasing the concentration of supplement and growth factors in the media used to make the Matrix 4-XF hydrogel solution improved hiPSC expression of SSEA-4 by 1.3-fold. Differentiation of Matrix 2-AB -maintained hiPSC led to fewer spheroid releases during the mid-/hindgut stage compared to the other animal-derived basement membranes. Compared to others, the xeno-free organoid matrix (Matrix 4-O3) leads to larger and more mature hIO, suggesting that the physical properties of xeno-free hydrogels can be harnessed to optimize organoid generation. Altogether, the results suggest that variations in the composition of different matrices affect stages of IO differentiation. This study raises awareness about the differences in commercially available matrices and provides a guide for matrix optimization during iPSC and IO work.

Introduction

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic and multifunctional component of tissues that plays a central role in regulating cell behavior and development. As a complex network, it provides structural support, cell adhesive ligands¹, and storage of growth factors and cytokines that regulate cell signaling. For example, during wound healing, the ECM serves as a scaffold for migrating cells and as a reservoir of growth factors involved in tissue repair². Similarly, dysregulation in the ECM can lead to an increase in the severity of various diseases such as fibrosis and cancer^3,

Protocol

1. hiPSC maintenance

CAUTION: All work is done in a Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) following standard aseptic techniques. Must follow OSHA safety standards for laboratories, including proper use of personal protective equipment such as lab coats, gloves, and goggles.

1. Preparation of matrices aliquots and cell culture media
   1. For commercially available animal-derived basement membranes (BMs; Matrix 1-AB, Matrix 2-AB, Matrix 3-AB), prepare aliquots of working volum.......

Discussion

Selecting the optimal microenvironment for stem cell and organoid work is a pivotal early step when using these platforms for a wide range of applications. Our representative results show that Matrix 4-XFO3, in combination with a higher concentration of growth factors, leads to larger organoids, suggesting that the physical properties of xeno-free hydrogels can be harnessed to optimize organoid generation using these systems. It has been previously shown that the unique characteristics of the extracellular matrix (ECM) a.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
24-Well Plate (Culture treated, sterile)	Falcon	353504
37 °C water bath	VWR
96-well plate	Fisher Scientific	FB012931
Advanced DMEM/F12	Life Technologies	12634
Anti-adherence Rinsing Solutio	STEMCELL Technologies	7010
Biological safety cabinet (BSC)	Labconco	Logic
Brightfield Microscope	Echo Rebel	REB-01-E2
BXS0116	ATCC	ACS-1030
Centrifuge with temperature control (4 °C capabilities)	ThermoScientific	75002441
Conical tubes, 15 mL, sterile	Thermo Fisher Scientific	339650
Conical tubes, 50 mL, sterile	Thermo Fisher Scientific	339652
Cultrex RGF BME, Type 2	Bio-techne	3533-005-02
Cultrex Stem Cell Qualified RGF BME	Bio-techne	3434-010-02
D-PBS (Without Ca++ and Mg++)	Thermo Fisher Scientific	14190144
GeltrexLDEV-Free, hESC-Qualified Reduce Growth Factor	Gibco	A14133-02
GlutaMAX Supplement	Thermo Fischer Scientific	35050-061
Guava Muse Cell Analyzer or another flow cytometry equipment (optional)	Luminex	0500-3115
HEPES buffer solution	Thermo Fischer Scientific	15630-056
Heralcell Vios Cell culture incubator (37 °C, 5% CO2)	Thermo Scientific	51033775
JMP Software	SAS Institute	JMP 16
MATLAB	MathWorks, Inc	R2022b
Matrigel Growth Factor Reduced (GFR) Basement Membrane Matrix LDEV free	Corning	356231
Matrigel Matrix High Concentration (HC), Growth Factor Reduced (GFR) LDEV-free	Corning	354263
mTeSR Plus Medium	STEMCELL Technologies	100-0276
Nunclon Delta surface treated 24-well plate	Thermo Scientific	144530
PE Mouse Anti-human CD326 (EpCAM)	BD Pharmingen	566841
PE Mouse Anti-human CDX2	BD Pharmingen	563428
PE Mouse Anti-human FOXA2	BD Pharmingen	561589
PerCP-Cy 5.5 Mouse Anti-human SSEA4	BD Pharmingen	561565
ReLeSR	STEMCELL	5872
SCTi003-A	STEMCELL Technologies	200-0510
Serological pipettes (10 mL)	Fisher Scientific	13-678-11E
Serological pipettes (5 mL)	Fisher Scientific	13-678-11D
STEMdiff Intestinal Organoid Growth Medium	STEMCELL Technologies	5145
STEMdiff Intestinal Organoid Kit	STEMCELL Technologies	5140
Vitrogel Hydrogel Matrix	TheWell Bioscience	VHM01
VitroGel ORGANOID Discovery Kit	TheWell Bioscience	VHM04-K