Name: three-dimensional culture of murine colonic crypts to study intestinal stem cell function ex vivo
Uploaded: 2022-10-11T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Three-Dimensional Culture of Murine Colonic Crypts to Study Intestinal Stem Cell Function Ex Vivo at JoVE.com

This study was funded by NIH DK103166.

All animal experiments and procedures were approved by the East Carolina University (ECU) Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and conducted in compliance with guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and ECU on laboratory animal care and use. Inducible, intestinal-specific claudin-7 knockout mice were generated by crossing C57BL6 claudin-7-flox transgenic mice with Villin-CreERT2 mice19. Male and female mice aged 3 months were used in this study.
1. Rea...

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(80), e50611 (2013).</li><li>Sugimoto, K., 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=Cell+adhesion+signals+regulate+the+nuclear+receptor+activity.">Cell adhesion signals regulate the nuclear receptor activity.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116 (49), 24600-24609 (2019).</li><li>Mansour, H., 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=Connexin+30+expression+and+frewuency+of+connexin+heterogeneity+in+astrocyte+gap+junction+plaques+increase+with+age+in+the+rat+retina.">Connexin 30 expression and frewuency of connexin heterogeneity in astrocyte gap junction plaques increase with age in the rat retina.</a> PLoS One. 8 (3), 57038 (2013).</li><li>Miranda, 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=Antioxidants+rescue+photoreceptors+in+rd1+mice:+relationship+with+thiol+metabolism.">Antioxidants rescue photoreceptors in rd1 mice: relationship with thiol metabolism.</a> Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 48 (2), 216-222 (2010).</li><li>Wang, L., 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=Mesenchymal+stromal+cells+ameliorate+oxidative+stress-induced+islet+endothelium+apoptosis+and+functional+impairment+via+Wnt4-&#946;-catenin+signaling.">Mesenchymal stromal cells ameliorate oxidative stress-induced islet endothelium apoptosis and functional impairment via Wnt4-&#946;-catenin signaling.</a> Stem Cell Research and Therapy. 8 (1), 188 (2017).</li><li>Almeqdadi, M., Mana, M., Roper, J., Yilmaz, O. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Gut+organoids:+mini-tissues+in+culture+to+study+intestinal+physiology+and+disease.">Gut organoids: mini-tissues in culture to study intestinal physiology and disease.</a> American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology. 317 (3), 405-419 (2019).</li></ol>

Organoid culture is an excellent model for studying stem cell function, intestinal physiology, drug discovery, human intestinal diseases, and tissue regeneration and repair7,8,9,10,11,26. While it has many advantages, it can be challenging to establish. Care must be taken in all steps throughout the protocol, but most importa...

Intestinal organoid culture is a three-dimensional (3D) ex vivo system in which stem cells are isolated from the intestinal crypts of primary tissue and plated into a gel matrix1,2. These stem cells are capable of self-renewal, self-organization, and organ functionality2. Organoids mimic the tissue microenvironment and are more similar to in vivo models than two-dimensional (2D) in vitro cell culture models, although less manipulatable than cells3,4. This model eliminates obstacles encountered in 2D models, such as a lack of proper cell-cell adhesions, cell-matrix interactions, and homogenous populations, and also reduces the limitations of animal models, including high costs and lengthy periods of time5. Intestinal organoids-also referred to as colonoids for those grown from colonic crypt-derived stem cells-are essentially mini-organs that contain an epithelium including all cell types that would be present in vivo, as well as a lumen. This model allows manipulation of the system to study many aspects of the intestine, such as the stem cell niche, intestinal physiology, pathophysiology, and gut morphogenesis3,5,6. It also provides a great model for drug discovery, studying human intestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer, patient-specific personalized treatment development, and studying tissue regeneration4,7,8,9. In addition, the organoid system can also be used to study cellular communication, drug metabolism, viability, proliferation, and response to stimuli7,8. While animal models may be used to test potential therapeutics for intestinal pathologic conditions, they are quite limited, as studying multiple drugs at once poses a challenge. There are more confounding variables in vivo, and associated cost and time are high and long, respectively. On the other hand, the organoid culture system allows for the screening of many therapeutics at once in a shorter time period and also allows for personalized treatment through the use of patient-derived organoid culture4,8. The ability of colonic organoids to mimic tissue organization, microenvironment, and functionality also makes them an excellent model for studying regeneration and tissue repair9. Our lab has established a small intestine organoid culture system to study the effect of claudin-7 on small intestine stem cell functions10. In this study, a large intestinal organoid culture system is established to study stem cells&#39; ability, or lack of ability, to self-renew, differentiate, and proliferate in a conditional claudin-7 knockout (cKO) model.
Claudin-7 is a very important tight junction (TJ) protein that is highly expressed in the intestine and is essential for maintaining TJ function and integrity11. cKO mice suffer from an IBD-like phenotype, exhibiting severe inflammation, ulcerations, epithelial cell sloughing, adenomas, and increased cytokine levels11,12. While it is widely accepted that claudins are vital for epithelial barrier function, new roles for claudins are emerging; they are involved in proliferation, migration, cancer progression, and stem cell function10,12,13,14,15,16,17. It is currently unknown how claudin-7 impacts the stem cell niche and function of colonic stem cells. As the intestine rapidly self-renews approximately every 5-7 days, maintenance of the stem cell niche and proper functioning of the active stem cells is vital18. Here, a system is established to examine the potential regulatory effects of claudin-7 on the colonic stem cell niche.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>0.09 cubic feet space-saver vacuum desiccator&#160;</td>
			<td>United States Plastic Corp</td>
			<td>78564</td>
			<td>anesthesia chamber</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.5 M EDTA pH 8.0</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>AM9261</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1.5 mL microcentrifuge tubes</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>69715</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>15 mL conical centrifuge tubes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14-959-53A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1x Dulbecco&#8217;s Phosphate buffered saline</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>14190-144</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2-methylbutane</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>277258</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4% paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>J61899.AK</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4-hydroxytamoxifen (4OH-TAM)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>579002</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>50 mL conical centrifuge tubes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14-432-22</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>70 &#181;m nylon cell strainer</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>352350</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>96 well culture plate</td>
			<td>Greiner Bio-One</td>
			<td>655180</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B-27 Supplement (50x)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>12587-010</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine serum albumin</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP1605-100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Claudin-7 anti-murine rabbit antibody</td>
			<td>Immuno-Biological Laboratories&#160;</td>
			<td>18875</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cover glass (24 x 50-1.5)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12544E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cryomolds</td>
			<td>vwr</td>
			<td>25608-916</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cultrex RCF BME, Type 2</td>
			<td>R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td>3533-005-02</td>
			<td>gel matrix</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cy3 anti-rabbit antibody</td>
			<td>Jackson Immunoresearch</td>
			<td>111-165-003</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dewar Flask</td>
			<td>Thomas Scientific</td>
			<td>1173F61</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM High Glucose with L-Glutamine</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>30-2002</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EVOS FLoid Imaging System</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>4477136</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluoro-Gel II with DAPI</td>
			<td>Electron Microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td>17985-50</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GlutaMAX (100x)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>35050-061</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glycine</td>
			<td>JT Baker</td>
			<td>4059-02</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEPES (1 M) Buffer Solution</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15630-080</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hoechst</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>62249</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>In situ cell death detection kit, TMR Red</td>
			<td>Roche</td>
			<td>12156792910</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Isoflurane</td>
			<td>Pivetal</td>
			<td>07-893-8440</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-WRN Media</td>
			<td>Harvard Medical School Gastrointestinal Organoid Derivation and Culture Core</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse surgical kit</td>
			<td>Kent Scientific Corporation</td>
			<td>INSMOUSEKIT</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Murine EGF</td>
			<td>PeproTech</td>
			<td>315-09-500UG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>N2 Supplement (100x)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>17502-048</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Optimum cutting temperature (OCT) compound&#160;</td>
			<td>Agar Scientific</td>
			<td>AGR1180</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sequenza Rack</td>
			<td>vwr</td>
			<td>10129-584</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Citrate</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S-279</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sucrose</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S9378</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton X-100</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>X100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vacuum filter (0.22 &#181;m; cellulose acetate)</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>430769</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Y-27632 dihydrochloride</td>
			<td>Tocris Bioscience</td>
			<td>1254</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

three-dimensional culture of murine colonic crypts to study intestinal stem cell function ex vivo

The intestinal epithelium regenerates every 5-7 days, and is controlled by the intestinal epithelial stem cell (IESC) population located at the bottom of the crypt region. IESCs include active stem cells, which self-renew and differentiate into various epithelial cell types, and quiescent stem cells, which serve as the reserve stem cells in the case of injury. Regeneration of the intestinal epithelium is controlled by the self-renewing and differentiating capabilities of these active IESCs. In addition, the balance of the crypt stem cell population and maintenance of the stem cell niche are essential for intestinal regeneration. Organoid culture is an important and attractive approach to studying proteins, signaling molecules, and environmental cues that regulate stem cell survival and functions. This model is less expensive, less time-consuming, and more manipulatable than animal models. Organoids also mimic the tissue microenvironment, providing in vivo relevance. The present protocol describes the isolation of colonic crypts, embedding these isolated crypt cells into a three-dimensional gel matrix system and culturing crypt cells to form colonic organoids capable of self-organization, proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation. This model allows one to manipulate the environment-knocking out specific proteins such as claudin-7, activating/deactivating signaling pathways, etc.-to study how these effects influence the functioning of colonic stem cells. Specifically, the role of tight junction protein claudin-7 in colonic stem cell function was examined. Claudin-7 is vital for maintaining intestinal homeostasis and barrier function and integrity. Knockout of claudin-7 in mice induces an inflammatory bowel disease-like phenotype exhibiting intestinal inflammation, epithelial hyperplasia, weight loss, mucosal ulcerations, epithelial cell sloughing, and adenomas. Previously, it was reported that claudin-7 is required for intestinal epithelial stem cell functions in the small intestine. In this protocol, a colonic organoid culture system is established to study the role of claudin-7 in the large intestine.

In order to examine the regulatory effects of claudin-7 on colon stem cells, colonic crypts were isolated from murine colon tissue as described above and shown in Figure 1A. Once the crypts were isolated from the primary tissue, they were plated in a 3D matrix in a 96-well plate to grow for 11 days (Figure 1). Normal healthy crypts will close the lumen and become spheroids by day 2 and eventually begin budding and forming the various epithelial cell types at app...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Three-Dimensional Culture of Murine Colonic Crypts to Study Intestinal Stem Cell Function Ex Vivo at JoVE.com

Three-Dimensional Culture of Murine Colonic Crypts to Study Intestinal Stem Cell Function Ex Vivo

The present protocol describes establishing a murine colonic organoid system to study the activity and functioning of colonic stem cells in a claudin-7 knockout model.

Three-Dimensional Culture of Murine Colonic Crypts to Study Intestinal Stem Cell Function Ex Vivo

The intestinal epithelium regenerates every 5-7 days, and is controlled by the intestinal epithelial stem cell (IESC) population located at the bottom of ...

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This protocol describes the generation of a three-dimensional (3D) ex vivo liver model and its application to the study and development of viral vector ...

A Protocol for Rapid Post-mortem Cell Culture of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)

A Protocol for Rapid Post-mortem Cell Culture of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma DIPG

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is a childhood brainstem tumor that carries a universally fatal prognosis. Because surgical resection is not a ...

Moving Upwards: A Simple and Flexible In Vitro Three-dimensional Invasion Assay Protocol

Moving Upwards: A Simple and Flexible In Vitro Three-dimensional Invasion Assay Protocol

Although 3D invasion assays have been developed, the challenge remains to study cells without affecting the integrity of their microenvironment. ...

Live-Cell Imaging Assays to Study Glioblastoma Brain Tumor Stem Cell Migration and Invasion

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor that is poorly controlled with the currently available treatment options. Key features of GBMs include ...

A Three-dimensional Thymic Culture System to Generate Murine Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Tumor Antigen-specific Thymic Emigrants

The inheritance of pre-rearranged T cell receptors (TCRs) and their epigenetic rejuvenation make induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived T cells a ...

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Isolation from Pulp Tissue and Co-Culture with Cancer Cells to Study Their Interactions

Cancer as a multistep process and complicated disease is not only regulated by individual cell proliferation and growth but also controlled by tumor ...

Three-Dimensional Bone Extracellular Matrix Model for Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common and a highly aggressive primary bone tumor. It is characterized with anatomic and histologic variations along with ...

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species in Murine Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells and MLL-AF9 Driven Leukemia

We present a flow cytometric approach for analyzing mitochondrial ROS in various live bone marrow (BM)-derived stem and progenitor cell populations from ...

Evaluating Cell Death Using Cell-Free Supernatant of Probiotics in Three-Dimensional Spheroid Cultures of Colorectal Cancer Cells

This manuscript describes a protocol to evaluate cancer cell deaths in three dimensional (3D) spheroids of multicellular types of cancer cells using ...

A Three-dimensional Model of Spheroids to Study Colon Cancer Stem Cells

Colorectal cancers are characterized by heterogeneity and a hierarchical organization comprising a population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) responsible for ...