This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants R01DK120986 (to K.P.M.).

Epithelial Effects of Intestinal Inflammation on Established Murine Colonoids

<ol>
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J. M., Lo, Y. H., Mah, A. T., Kuo, C. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+intestinal+stem+cell+niche:+Homeostasis+and+adaptations.">The intestinal stem cell niche: Homeostasis and adaptations.</a> Trends in Cell Biology. 28 (12), 1062-1078 (2018).</li><li>Yin, X., 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=Niche-independent+high-purity+cultures+of+Lgr5++intestinal+stem+cells+and+their+progeny.">Niche-independent high-purity cultures of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells and their progeny.</a> Nature Methods. 11 (1), 106-112 (2014).</li><li>Wilson, S. 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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=Intestinal+epithelium+is+more+susceptible+to+cytopathic+injury+and+altered+permeability+than+the+lung+epithelium+in+the+context+of+acute+sepsis.">Intestinal epithelium is more susceptible to cytopathic injury and altered permeability than the lung epithelium in the context of acute sepsis.</a> International Journal of Experimental Pathology. 92 (5), 366-376 (2011).</li><li>Haberman, Y., 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=Ulcerative+colitis+mucosal+transcriptomes+reveal+mitochondriopathy+and+personalized+mechanisms+underlying+disease+severity+and+treatment+response.">Ulcerative colitis mucosal transcriptomes reveal mitochondriopathy and personalized mechanisms underlying disease severity and treatment response.</a> Nature Communications. 10, 38 (2019).</li><li>Yang, 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=Mitochondrial+transcription+factor+A+plays+opposite+roles+in+the+initiation+and+progression+of+colitis-associated+cancer.">Mitochondrial transcription factor A plays opposite roles in the initiation and progression of colitis-associated cancer.</a> Cancer Communications. 41 (8), 695-714 (2021).</li><li>Maidji, E., Somsouk, M., Rivera, J. 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The contributing authors have nothing to disclose.

Organoid development has revolutionized the way the scientific community studies organ systems in vitro with the ability to partially recapitulate cellular structure and function from an animal or human in a dish. Further, organoid systems derived from humans with diseases offer a promising tool for personalized medicine that could guide therapeutic decision-making. Here, we&#160;describes a crypt isolation protocol that works well and introduces key steps that allow for cleaning up excess debris in the isolatio...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, remitting, and relapsing disease characterized by episodes of inflammation and clinical quiescence. The etiology of IBD is multifactorial, but key characteristic features of the disease include defective barrier function and increased permeability of the intestinal epithelium, in addition to proinflammatory signaling cascades activated within the epithelial compartment1,2. Several in vitro and in vivo models have been used to recapitulate the epithelial response during IBD, including cell culture and murine models of inflammation3. However, all these systems have important shortcomings that limit their ability to recapitulate the epithelial changes during IBD4. Most cell lines used to study IBD are transformed, have the ability to form a monolayer, and can differentiate3 but intrinsically propagate differently than non-transformed intestinal epithelial cells in the host. Several different murine models of inflammation are used to study IBD, some of which include knockout models, infectious models, chemical inflammatory models, and T-cell transfer models5,6,7,8. While each can study certain etiological aspects of IBD, such as genetic predispositions, barrier dysfunction, immune deregulation, and the microbiome, they are limited in their ability to study the multifactorial nature of the disease.
Intestinal organoids, including enteroids and colonoids, have been established over the last decade as a useful in vitro model for studying not only the dynamics of intestinal stem cells but also their role the barrier integrity and function of the intestinal epithelium play in intestinal homeostasis and disease. These entities have significantly contributed to our understanding of the pathogenesis of IBD9 and have opened new opportunities for personalized medicine. Colonoids, or stem cell-derived, self-organizing tissue cultures from the colon, have been developed from both murine and human tissue in a process that allows stem cells located within intestinal crypts to propagate and be maintained indefinitely10. The stem cell niche in vivo relies on extracellular factors to support its growth, notably the canonical Wnt signaling and bone-morphogenic protein signaling pathways11. The addition of these factors promotes the health and longevity of colonoids but also drives the culture toward a stem cell-like state that is not reflective of the in vivo epithelial cellular architecture, which consists of both self-renewing and terminally differentiated cells12,13. While the functionality of the intestinal epithelium is dependent upon the continual crosstalk between the stem cell compartment and differentiated cells, the ability to have both in a colonoid culture system is fairly limited. Despite these limitations, the organoid culture system remains the gold standard to study the intrinsic properties of the epithelium ex vivo. Nonetheless, alternative culture strategies may need to be considered to answer the scientific question at hand.
It has been shown that mice on a continuous 7 day regimen of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) develop both epithelial inflammation and barrier dysfunction14. Furthermore, mitochondrial biogenesis failure and metabolic reprogramming within the intestinal epithelium, which have been shown to be evident in human IBD, have also been captured in this DSS model of colitis15. However, our preliminary data demonstrate that the characteristics of mitochondrial biogenesis failure are not retained in colonoids derived from the crypts of DSS-treated animals (Supplementary Figure 1). Thus, alternative culture methods must be used when examining how inflammation drives epithelial changes during murine intestinal inflammation. Here, we outline a protocol we have developed that describes 1) how to isolate crypts from whole colonic tissue for the establishment of murine colonoids, 2) how to terminally differentiate this cell population to reflect the cell population as it stands in vivo, and 3) how to induce inflammation in this in vitro model. To study drug interactions within the inflamed epithelium, we have developed a protocol to establish 2-dimensonal (2D) monolayers from murine colonoids that can be basally treated with inflammatory mediators and apically treated with drug therapies.

<table><tbody><tr><td>0.4-&amp;mu;M transparent transwell, 24-well</td><td>Greiner Bio-one</td><td>662-641</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>15-mL conical tubes</td><td>Thermo Fisher&amp;nbsp;</td><td>12-565-269</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>50-mL conical tubes</td><td>Thermo Fisher&amp;nbsp;</td><td>12-565-271</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>70-&amp;mu;M cell strainer</td><td>VWR</td><td>76327-100</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Advanced DMEM/F12</td><td>Invitrogen</td><td>12634-010</td><td>Stock Concentration (1x); Final Concentration (1x)</td></tr><tr><td>B-27 supplement&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Invitrogen</td><td>12587-010</td><td>Stock Concentration (50x); Final Concentration (1x)</td></tr><tr><td>Chopsticks Electrode Set for EVO</td><td>World Precision Instruments</td><td>STX2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Corning Matrigel GFR Membrane Mix</td><td>Corning</td><td>354-230</td><td>Stock Concentration (100%); Final Concentration (100%)</td></tr><tr><td>Dithiothreitol (DTT)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>D0632-5G</td><td>Stock Concentration (1 M); Final Concentration (1.5 mM); Solvent (ultrapure water)</td></tr><tr><td>DMEM high glucose</td><td>Thermo Fisher</td><td>11960-069</td><td>Stock Concentration (1x); Final Concentration (1x)</td></tr><tr><td>Dulbecco&#039;s phosphate-buffered saline without Calcium and Magnesium</td><td>Gibco&amp;nbsp;</td><td>14190-144</td><td>Stock Concentration (1x); Final Concentration (1x)</td></tr><tr><td>Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (ETDA)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>E7889</td><td>Stock Concentration (0.5 M); Final Concentration (30 mM)</td></tr><tr><td>Fetal Bovine Serum</td><td>Bio-Techne</td><td>S11150H</td><td>Stock Concentration (100%); Final Concentration (1%)</td></tr><tr><td>Fisherbrand Superfrost Plus Microscope Slides, White, 25 x 75 mm</td><td>Thermo Fisher&amp;nbsp;</td><td>12-550-15</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>G418</td><td>InvivoGen</td><td>ant-ga-1</td><td>Final Concentration (400 &amp;micro;g/&amp;micro;L)</td></tr><tr><td>Gentamicin Reagent</td><td>Gibco/Fisher</td><td>15750-060</td><td>Stock Concentration (50 mg/mL); Final Concentration (250 &amp;mu;g/mL)</td></tr><tr><td>GlutaMAX-1</td><td>Fisher Scientific</td><td>35050-061</td><td>Stock Concentration (100x); Final Concentration (1x)</td></tr><tr><td>HEPES 1 M</td><td>Gibco</td><td>15630-080</td><td>Stock Concentration (1 M); Final Concentration (10 mM)</td></tr><tr><td>hIFN&amp;gamma;</td><td>R&amp;amp;D Systems</td><td>285-IF</td><td>Stock Concentration (1000 ng/&amp;micro;L); Final Concentration (10 ng/mL); Solvent (ultrapure water)</td></tr><tr><td>hIL-1&amp;beta;</td><td>R&amp;amp;D Systems</td><td>201-LB</td><td>Stock Concentration (10 ng/&amp;micro;L); Final Concentration (20 ng/mL); Solvent (ultrapure water)</td></tr><tr><td>hTNF&amp;alpha;</td><td>R&amp;amp;D Systems</td><td>210-TA</td><td>Stock Concentration (10 ng/&amp;micro;L); Final Concentration (40 ng/mL); Solvent (ultrapure water)</td></tr><tr><td>Hydrogen Peroxide&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Sigma</td><td>H1009</td><td>Stock Concentration (30%); Final Concentration (0.003%); Solvent (Mouse wash media)</td></tr><tr><td>Hygromycin B Gold</td><td>InvivoGen</td><td>ant-hg-1</td><td>Final Concentration (400 &amp;micro;g/&amp;micro;L)</td></tr><tr><td>L-WRN Cell Line</td><td>ATCC</td><td>CRL-3276</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>mEGF</td><td>Novus</td><td>NBP2-35176</td><td>Stock Concentration (0.5 &amp;micro;g/&amp;micro;L); Final Concentration (50 ng/mL); Solvent (D-PBS + 1% BSA)</td></tr><tr><td>N-2 supplement</td><td>Invitrogen</td><td>17502-048</td><td>Stock Concentration (100x); Final Concentration (1x)</td></tr><tr><td>N-Acetyl-L-cysteine</td><td>Sigma&amp;nbsp;</td><td>A9165-5G</td><td>Stock Concentration (500 mM); Final Concentration (1 mM); Solvent (ultrapure water)</td></tr><tr><td>Noggin</td><td>Peprotech</td><td>250-38</td><td>Stock Concentration (0.1 ng/&amp;micro;L); Final Concentration (100 ng/mL); Solvent (UltraPure water + 0.1% BSA)</td></tr><tr><td>Penicillin-Streptomycin (10,000 U/mL)</td><td>Thermo Fisher</td><td>15140-122</td><td>Stock Concentration (100x); Final Concentration (1x)</td></tr><tr><td>Petri dishes (sterilized; 100 mm x 15 mm) Polystrene disposable</td><td>VWR</td><td>25384-342</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Polystyrene Microplates, 24 well tissue culture treated, sterile</td><td>Greiner Bio-one</td><td>5666-2160</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>R-Spondin</td><td>R&amp;amp;D Systems</td><td>3474-RS-050</td><td>Stock Concentration (0.25 &amp;micro;g/&amp;micro;L); Final Concentration (500 ng/mL); Solvent (D-PBS + 1% BSA)</td></tr><tr><td>Tryp LE Express</td><td>Thermo Fisher</td><td>12604-013</td><td>Stock Concentration (10x); Final Concentration (1x); Solvent (1 mM EDTA)</td></tr><tr><td>UltraPure Water&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Invitrogen</td><td>10977-023</td><td>Stock Concentration (1x); Final Concentration (1x)</td></tr><tr><td>Y-27632 dihyddrochloride&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Abcam</td><td>ab120129</td><td>Stock Concentration (10 mM); Final Concentration (10 &amp;micro;M); Solvent (UltraPure Water)</td></tr></tbody></table>

studying the epithelial effects of intestinal inflammation in vitro on established murine colonoids

The intestinal epithelium plays an essential role in human health, providing a barrier between the host and the external environment. This highly dynamic cell layer provides the first line of defense between microbial and immune populations and helps to modulate the intestinal immune response. Disruption of the epithelial barrier is a hallmark of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is of interest for therapeutic targeting. The 3-dimensional colonoid culture system is an extremely useful in vitro model for studying intestinal stem cell dynamics and epithelial cell physiology in IBD pathogenesis. Ideally, establishing colonoids from the inflamed epithelial tissue of animals would be most beneficial in assessing the genetic and molecular influences on disease. However, we have shown that in vivo epithelial changes are not necessarily retained in colonoids established from mice with acute inflammation. To address this limitation, we have developed a protocol to treat colonoids with a cocktail of inflammatory mediators that are typically elevated during IBD. While this system can be applied ubiquitously to various culture conditions, this protocol emphasizes treatment on both differentiated colonoids and 2-dimensional monolayers derived from established colonoids. In a traditional culture setting, colonoids are enriched with intestinal stem cells, providing an ideal environment to study the stem cell niche. However, this system does not allow for an analysis of the features of intestinal physiology, such as barrier function. Further, traditional colonoids do not offer the opportunity to study the cellular response of terminally differentiated epithelial cells to proinflammatory stimuli. The methods presented here provide an alternative experimental framework to address these limitations. The 2-dimensional monolayer culture system also offers an opportunity for therapeutic drug screening ex vivo. This polarized layer of cells can be treated with inflammatory mediators on the basal side of the cell and concomitantly with putative therapeutics apically to determine their utility in IBD treatment.

The 3D intestinal colonoid culture system is an invaluable tool to study the intrinsic contribution of the epithelium to intestinal mucosal homeostasis. The described protocol provides detailed instructions on how to isolate crypts from C57BL/6J (WT) mice at 8 weeks of age and establish a long-term colonoid culture system that can be manipulated for multiple downstream applications. Upon the isolation and plating of crypts in the basement membrane matrix, the crypts appear dense and multicellular in structure when visual...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Studying the Epithelial Effects of Intestinal Inflammation In Vitro on Established Murine Colonoids at JoVE.com

Author Spotlight: Studying the Epithelial Effects of Intestinal Inflammation In Vitro on Established Murine Colonoids  

We describe a protocol detailing the isolation of murine colonic crypts for the development of 3-dimensional colonoids. The established colonoids can then be terminally differentiated to reflect the cellular composition of the host epithelium prior to receiving an inflammatory challenge or being directed to establish an epithelial monolayer.

Studying the Epithelial Effects of Intestinal Inflammation In Vitro on Established Murine Colonoids

The intestinal epithelium plays an essential role in human health, providing a barrier between the host and the external environment. This highly dynamic ...

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914 Views.  UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. We describe a protocol detailing the isolation of murine colonic crypts for the development of 3-dimensional colonoids. The established colonoids can then be terminally differentiated to reflect the cellular composition of the host epithelium prior to receiving an inflammatory challenge or being directed to establish an epithelial monolayer.

Video: Author Spotlight: Studying the Epithelial Effects of Intestinal Inflammation In Vitro on Established Murine Colonoids  

Establishment of Human Epithelial Enteroids and Colonoids from Whole Tissue and Biopsy

The epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract is constantly renewed as it turns over. This process is triggered by the proliferation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and progeny that progressively migrate and differentiate toward the tip of the villi. These processes, essential for gastrointestinal homeostasis, have been extensively studied using multiple approaches. Ex vivo technologies, especially primary cell cultures have proven to be promising for understanding intestinal epithelial functions. A long-term primary culture system for mouse intestinal crypts has been established to generate 3-dimensional epithelial organoids. These epithelial structures contain crypt- and villus-like domains reminiscent of normal gut epithelium. Commonly, termed &#8220;enteroids&#8221; when derived from small intestine and &#8220;colonoids&#8221; when derived from colon, they are different from organoids that also contain mesenchyme tissue. Additionally, these enteroids/colonoids continuously produce all cell types found normally within the intestinal epithelium. This in vitro organ-like culture system is rapidly becoming the new gold standard for investigation of intestinal stem cell biology and epithelial cell physiology. This technology has been recently transferred to the study of human gut. The establishment of human derived epithelial enteroids and colonoids from small intestine and colon has been possible through the utilization of specific culture media that allow their growth and maintenance over time. Here, we describe a method to establish a small intestinal and colon crypt-derived system from human whole tissue or biopsies. We emphasize the culture modalities that are essential for the successful growth and maintenance of human enteroids and colonoids.

We describe a method to establish human enteroids from small intestinal crypts and colonoids from colon crypts collected from both surgical tissue and biopsies. In this methodological article, we present the culture modalities that are essential for the successful growth and maintenance of human enteroids and colonoids.

The epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract is constantly renewed as it turns over. This process is triggered by the proliferation of intestinal stem ...

Medicine

Analyzing Beneficial Effects of Nutritional Supplements on Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Functions During Experimental Colitis

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn&#39;s disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic relapsing disorders of the intestines. They cause severe problems, such as abdominal cramping, bloody diarrhea, and weight loss, in affected individuals. Unfortunately, there is no cure yet, and treatments only aim to alleviate symptoms. Current treatments include anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs that may cause severe side effects. This warrants the search for alternative treatment options, such as nutritional supplements, that do not cause side effects. Before their application in clinical studies, such compounds must be rigorously tested for effectiveness and security in animal models. A reliable experimental model is the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis model in mice, which reproduces many of the clinical signs of ulcerative colitis in humans. We recently applied this model to test the beneficial effects of a nutritional supplement containing vitamins C and E, L-arginine, and &#969;3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). We analyzed various disease parameters and found that this supplement was able to ameliorate edema formation, tissue damage, leukocyte infiltration, oxidative stress, and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to an overall improvement in the disease activity index. In this article, we explain in detail the correct application of nutritional supplements using the DSS colitis model in C57Bl/6 mice, as well as how disease parameters such as histology, oxidative stress, and inflammation are assessed. Analyzing the beneficial effects of different diet supplements may then eventually open new avenues for the development of alternative treatment strategies that alleviate IBD symptoms and/or that prolong the phases of remission without causing severe side effects.

Current treatments of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) aim at alleviating disease symptoms but may cause severe side effects. Thus, alternative strategies are being investigated in animal colitis models. Here, we explain how the beneficial effects of diet supplements on clinical IBD signs are analyzed in such a colitis model.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn&#39;s disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic relapsing disorders of the intestines. They cause ...

Human Colonoid Monolayers to Study Interactions Between Pathogens, Commensals, and Host Intestinal Epithelium

Human 3-dimensional (3D) enteroid or colonoid cultures derived from crypt base stem cells are currently the most advanced ex vivo model of the intestinal epithelium. Due to their closed structures and significant supporting extracellular matrix, 3D cultures are not ideal for host-pathogen studies. Enteroids or colonoids can be grown as epithelial monolayers on permeable tissue culture membranes to allow manipulation of both luminal and basolateral cell surfaces and accompanying fluids. This enhanced luminal surface accessibility facilitates modeling bacterial-host epithelial interactions such as the mucus-degrading ability of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) on colonic epithelium. A method for 3D culture fragmentation, monolayer seeding, and transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) measurements to monitor the progress towards confluency and differentiation are described. Colonoid monolayer differentiation yields secreted mucus that can be studied by the immunofluorescence or immunoblotting techniques. More generally, enteroid or colonoid monolayers enable a physiologically-relevant platform to evaluate specific cell populations that may be targeted by pathogenic or commensal microbiota.

Here, we present a protocol to culture human enteroid or colonoid monolayers that have intact barrier function to study host epithelial-microbiota interactions at the cellular and biochemical level.

Human 3-dimensional (3D) enteroid or colonoid cultures derived from crypt base stem cells are currently the most advanced ex vivo model of the intestinal ...

Immunology and Infection

An Intravital Microscopy-Based Approach to Assess Intestinal Permeability and Epithelial Cell Shedding Performance

Intravital microscopy of the gut using confocal imaging allows real time observation of epithelial cell shedding and barrier leakage in living animals. Therefore, the intestinal mucosa of anesthetized mice is topically stained with unspecific staining (acriflavine) and a fluorescent tracer (rhodamine-B dextran), mounted on a saline solution-rinsed plate and directly imaged using a confocal microscope. This technique can complement other non-invasive techniques to identify leakage of intestinal permeability, such as transmucosal passage of orally administered tracers. Besides this, the approach presented here allows the direct observation of cell shedding events at real-time. In combination with appropriate fluorescent reporter mice, this approach is suitable for shedding light into cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling intestinal epithelial cell extrusion, as well as to other biological processes. In the last decades, interesting studies using intravital microscopy have contributed to knowledge on endothelial permeability, immune cell gut homing, immune-epithelial communication and invasion of luminal components, among others. Together, the protocol presented here would not only help increase the understanding of mechanisms controlling epithelial cell extrusion, but could also be the basis for the developmental of other approaches to be used as instruments to visualize other highly dynamic cellular process, even in other tissues. Among technical limitations, optical properties of the specific tissue, as well as the selected imaging technology and microscope configuration, would in turn, determine the imaging working distance, and resolution of acquired images.

Taking advantage of intravital microscopy, the method presented here enables real-time visualization of intestinal epithelial cell shedding in living animals. Therefore, topically stained intestinal mucosa (acriflavine and rhodamineB-dextran) of anesthetized mice is imaged up to single-cell resolution using confocal microscopy.

Intravital microscopy of the gut using confocal imaging allows real time observation of epithelial cell shedding and barrier leakage in living animals. ...

Systematic Scoring Analysis for Intestinal Inflammation in a Murine Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis Model

Murine colitis models are tools that are extensively employed in studies focused on understanding the pathobiology of inflammatory intestinal disorders. However, robust standards for objective and reproducible quantification of disease severity remain to be defined. Most colitis analysis methods rely on limited histological scoring of small segments of intestine, leading to partial or biased analyses. Here, we combine high-resolution image acquisition and longitudinal analysis of the entire colon to quantify intestinal injury and ulceration in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced model of murine colitis. This protocol allows for the generation of objective and reproducible results without extensive user training. Here, we provide comprehensive details on sample preparation and image analysis using examples of data from DSS induced colitis. This method can be easily adapted to other models of murine colitis that have significant inflammation associated with mucosal injury. We demonstrate that the fraction of inflamed/injured and eroded/ulcerated mucosa relative to the complete length of the colon closely parallels clinical findings such as weight loss amid DSS-induced disease progression. This histological protocol provides a reliable time and cost-effective aid to standardize analyses of disease activity in an unbiased way in DSS colitis experiments.

Systematic scoring of intestinal inflammation using a free computer-assisted system is a powerful tool to quantitatively compare histopathological changes in colitis models characterized by the presence of ulcers and inflammatory changes. Histological colitis score evaluation strengthens clinical observations and facilitates data interpretation.

Murine colitis models are tools that are extensively employed in studies focused on understanding the pathobiology of inflammatory intestinal disorders. ...

Co-Culture of Murine Small Intestine Epithelial Organoids with Innate Lymphoid Cells

Complex co-cultures of organoids with immune cells provide a versatile tool for interrogating the bi-directional interactions that underpin the delicate balance of mucosal homeostasis. These 3D, multi-cellular systems offer a reductionist model for addressing multi-factorial diseases and resolving technical difficulties that arise when studying rare cell types such as tissue-resident innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). This article describes a murine system that combines small intestine organoids and small intestine lamina propria derived helper-like type-1 ILCs (ILC1s), which can be readily extended to other ILC or immune populations. ILCs are a tissue-resident population that is particularly enriched in the mucosa, where they promote homeostasis and rapidly respond to damage or infection. Organoid co-cultures with ILCs have already begun shedding light on new epithelial-immune signaling modules in the gut, revealing how different ILC subsets impact intestinal epithelial barrier integrity and regeneration. This protocol will enable further investigations into reciprocal interactions between epithelial and immune cells, which hold the potential to provide new insights into the mechanisms of mucosal homeostasis and inflammation.

This protocol offers detailed instructions for establishing murine small intestine organoids, isolating type-1 innate lymphoid cells from the murine small intestine lamina propria, and establishing 3-dimensional (3D) co-cultures between both cell types to study bi-directional interactions between intestinal epithelial cells and type-1 innate lymphoid cells.

Complex co-cultures of organoids with immune cells provide a versatile tool for interrogating the bi-directional interactions that underpin the delicate ...

In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches to Determine Intestinal Epithelial Cell Permeability

The intestinal barrier defends against pathogenic microorganism and microbial toxin. Its function is regulated by tight junction permeability and epithelial cell integrity, and disruption of the intestinal barrier function contributes to progression of gastrointestinal and systemic disease. Two simple methods are described here to measure the permeability of intestinal epithelium. In vitro, Caco-2BBe cells are plated in tissue culture wells as a monolayer and transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) can be measured by an epithelial (volt/ohm) meter. This method is convincing because of its user-friendly operation and repeatability. In vivo, mice are gavaged with 4 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran, and the FITC-dextran concentrations are measured in collected serum samples from mice to determine the epithelial permeability. Oral gavage provides an accurate dose, and therefore is the preferred method to measure the intestinal permeability in vivo. Taken together, these two methods can measure the permeability of the intestinal epithelium in vitro and in vivo, and hence be used to study the connection between diseases and barrier function.

In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches to Determine Intestinal Epithelial Cell Permeability

Two methods are presented here to determine intestinal barrier function. An epithelial meter (volt/ohm) is used for measurements of transepithelial electrical resistance of cultured epithelia directly in tissue culture wells. In mice, the FITC-dextran gavage method is used to determine the intestinal permeability in vivo.

The intestinal barrier defends against pathogenic microorganism and microbial toxin. Its function is regulated by tight junction permeability and ...

Organoid-Derived Epithelial Monolayer: A Clinically Relevant In Vitro Model for Intestinal Barrier Function

In the past, intestinal epithelial model systems were limited to transformed cell lines and primary tissue. These model systems have inherent limitations as the former do not faithfully represent original tissue physiology, and the availability of the latter is limited. Hence, their application hampers fundamental and drug development research. Adult stem-cell-based organoids (henceforth referred to as organoids) are miniatures of normal or diseased epithelial tissue from which they are derived. They can be established very efficiently from different gastrointestinal (GI) tract regions, have long-term expandability, and simulate tissue- and patient-specific responses to treatments in vitro. Here, the establishment of intestinal organoid-derived epithelial monolayers has been demonstrated along with methods to measure epithelial barrier integrity, permeability and transport,&#160;antimicrobial protein secretion, as well as histology. Moreover, intestinal organoid-derived monolayers can be enriched with proliferating stem and transit-amplifying cells as well as with key differentiated epithelial cells. Therefore, they represent a model system that can be tailored to study the effects of compounds on target cells and their mode of action. Although organoid cultures are technically more demanding than cell lines, once established, they can reduce failures in the later stages of drug development as they truly represent in vivo epithelium complexity and interpatient heterogeneity.

Here, we describe the preparation of human organoid-derived intestinal epithelial monolayers for studying intestinal barrier function, permeability, and transport. As organoids represent original epithelial tissue response to external stimuli, these models combine the advantages of expandability of cell lines and the relevance and complexity of primary tissue.

In the past, intestinal epithelial model systems were limited to transformed cell lines and primary tissue. These model systems have inherent limitations ...

Generation of Murine Primary Colon Epithelial Monolayers from Intestinal Crypts

The intestinal epithelium is comprised of a single layer of cells that act as a barrier between the gut lumen and the interior of the body. Disruption in the continuity of this barrier can result in inflammatory disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease. One of the limitations in the study of intestinal epithelial biology has been the lack of primary cell culture models, which has obliged researchers to use model cell lines derived from carcinomas. The advent of three dimensional (3D) enteroids has given epithelial biologists a powerful tool to generate primary cell cultures, nevertheless, these structures are embedded in extracellular matrix and lack the maturity characteristic of differentiated intestinal epithelial cells. Several techniques to generate intestinal epithelial monolayers have been published, but most are derived from established 3D enteroids making the process laborious and expensive. Here we describe a protocol to generate primary epithelial colon monolayers directly from murine intestinal crypts. We also detail experimental approaches that can be used with this model such as the generation of confluent cultures on permeable filters, confluent monolayer for scratch wound healing studies and sparse and confluent monolayers for immunofluorescence analysis.

In this protocol, we describe how to generate murine primary epithelial colon monolayers directly from intestinal crypts. We provide experimental approaches to generate confluent monolayers on permeable filters, confluent monolayers for scratch wound healing and biochemical studies, and sparse and confluent monolayers for immunofluorescence analysis.

The intestinal epithelium is comprised of a single layer of cells that act as a barrier between the gut lumen and the interior of the body. Disruption in ...

Evaluation and Quantification of Micro Epithelial Gaps in the Colonic Mucosa using Immunofluorescence Staining

Epithelial cells lining the intestinal mucosa create a physical barrier that separates the luminal content from the interstitium. Epithelial barrier impairment has been associated with the development of various pathologies such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In the inflamed mucosa, superficial erosions or micro-erosions that corrupt epithelial monolayers correspond to sites of high permeability. Several mechanisms have been implicated in the formation of micro-erosions including cell shedding and apoptosis. These micro-erosions often represent microscopic epithelial gaps randomly distributed in the colon. Visualization and quantification of those epithelial gaps has emerged as an important tool to investigate intestinal epithelial barrier function. Here, we describe a new method to visualize the specific location of where transcellular and paracellular permeability is enhanced in the inflamed colonic mucosa. In this assay, we apply a 10 kDa fluorescent dye conjugated to a lysine fixable dextran to visualize high permeability regions (HPR) in the colonic mucosa. Additional use of cell death markers revealed that HPR encompass apoptotic foci where epithelial extrusion/shedding occurs. The protocol described here provides a simple but effective approach to visualize and quantify micro-erosions in the intestine, which is a very useful tool in disease models, in which the intestinal epithelial barrier is compromised.

Here, we describe a new method to visualize the specific location of where transcellular and paracellular permeability is enhanced in the inflamed colonic mucosa. In this assay, we apply a 10 kDa fluorescent dye conjugated to a lysine fixable dextran to visualize high permeability regions (HPR) in the colonic mucosa.

Epithelial cells lining the intestinal mucosa create a physical barrier that separates the luminal content from the interstitium. Epithelial barrier ...

Studying the Epithelial Effects of Intestinal Inflammation In Vitro on Established Murine Colonoids

Summary

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Chapters in this video

Establishment of Human Epithelial Enteroids and Colonoids from Whole Tissue and Biopsy

Analyzing Beneficial Effects of Nutritional Supplements on Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Functions During Experimental Colitis

Human Colonoid Monolayers to Study Interactions Between Pathogens, Commensals, and Host Intestinal Epithelium

An Intravital Microscopy-Based Approach to Assess Intestinal Permeability and Epithelial Cell Shedding Performance

Systematic Scoring Analysis for Intestinal Inflammation in a Murine Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis Model

Co-Culture of Murine Small Intestine Epithelial Organoids with Innate Lymphoid Cells

In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches to Determine Intestinal Epithelial Cell Permeability

Organoid-Derived Epithelial Monolayer: A Clinically Relevant In Vitro Model for Intestinal Barrier Function

Generation of Murine Primary Colon Epithelial Monolayers from Intestinal Crypts

Evaluation and Quantification of Micro Epithelial Gaps in the Colonic Mucosa using Immunofluorescence Staining