肠道类器官模型检测方法研究进展与初探

肠道类器官是由肠道隐窝或干细胞在3D培养条件下生成的具有肠上皮结构和功能的微型空心球体,目前已被广泛应用于炎症性肠病、肠道损伤再生、肠癌等多种肠道疾病的研究.该文对肠道类器官的常用检测手段进行综述,并对文献报道较多的实验方法进行初探,以期为类器官相关科研及应用提供参考.     

肠道类器官在精准医学中的应用

类器官3D培养是一种新兴的用来研究组织成体干细胞生长、分化、器官形成的体外研究系统.目前,肠道类器官的3D培养是将分离的肠道隐窝或干细胞植入含有多种生长因子的基质胶中,在基质3D支撑下生成具有肠道上皮样结构的微型空心球体,这些球体被称为肠道类器官.该类器官包含有所有种类的肠道功能上皮细胞,能最大程度模拟肠道组织,故也称之为"迷你肠".结直肠肿瘤细胞也可以利用该3D体系培养得到肿瘤类器官.这些肠道类器官可被广泛应用于炎症性肠病、肠道损伤再生、肠癌等多种肠道疾病的研究.本综述讨论了关于肠道干细胞的最新研究进展,正常类器官和肿瘤类器官的培养,同时还将探讨类器官在疾病建模和组织再生、基因修复、肿瘤个性化治疗等精准医学方面的应用.     

肠道真菌研究进展

摘要：肠道真菌是肠道微生物的重要组成部分，在肠道正常菌群中所占比例极小，主要包括假丝酵母属（Candida）、隐球酵母属（Cryptococcus）、青霉属（Penicillium）、曲霉属（Aspergillus）、红酵母属（Rhodotorula）等，对维持肠道微生态稳态和机体健康具有重要作用，也与抗生素相关性腹泻（AAD）、乙型肝炎、炎症性肠病（IBD）等疾病的发病机制息息相关。本文主要总结了目前已发现的肠道真菌属及其对人体的影响机制以及肠道真菌相关的研究方法，为肠道真菌在疾病的诊断和治疗方面的进一步研究提供依据与思路。     

骨类器官的构建及应用进展

骨骼疾病如骨质疏松、骨关节炎等已成为重要的人类健康问题,需要更深入地了解相关疾病的发病机制并开发更有效的治疗方法。由于2D细胞培养和动物实验等常规研究方法的局限性,近年来发展的类器官技术受到了极大关注。类器官作为干细胞衍生的自组织3D细胞簇,可以在体外更真实地模拟组织器官的复杂结构和生物功能。目前间充质干细胞、多能干细胞等衍生的骨类器官已逐步建立,不仅为疾病建模、药物筛选和生理病理基础研究提供了良好平台,还有望为骨缺损修复带来新希望。现对不同骨类器官模型的构建及主要应用进行概述,同时讨论了骨类器官培养面临的挑战,并对其未来发展进行展望,为构建结构功能更完善的骨类器官并将其应用于生物医学研究提供参考。     

系统性红斑狼疮与肠道菌群关系研究进展

系统性红斑狼疮(systemic lupus erythematosus,SLE)是一种慢性进行性自身免疫疾病,可累及全身多器官。SLE的发病机制不仅与遗传易感性有关,还与环境因素有关,其中肠道菌群紊乱引起了越来越多的关注。研究表明,肠道菌群是影响自身免疫性疾病发病率的环境因素。公认的机制包括异常的微生物移位、分子拟态以及局部和全身免疫的失调。因此,肠道菌群及其代谢物影响SLE的发生发展。本文将重点探讨肠道菌群与SLE的关系,以及菌群干预作为SLE防治的新策略,为进一步研究SLE的诊断和治疗提供新的思路。     

长寿人群肠道微生态与细胞衰老的关系简析

肠道微生物与人体共生共存,是人体重要的"器官",与人体健康和疾病密切相关。越来越多的研究开始关注肠道微生物在不同疾病中的作用,并发现在某些疾病的发生发展中,人体肠道微生物及其代谢产物是非常关键的一环。肠道微生物与衰老也息息相关。衰老是每个人都必须经历的过程,整体来看是健康的器官功能逐步退化的过程,在细胞层面上是细胞的衰老。本文主要分析了长寿人群肠道微生物的分布特征,并分析了与长寿密切相关的部分肠道微生物及其影响细胞衰老的机制。     

肠道中短链脂肪酸与过敏性疾病关系的研究进展

短链脂肪酸(short-chain fatty acid,SCFA)是肠道菌群代谢产物中最主要的标志物之一.肠道中不同种属类型的细菌产生的SCFA的种类和数量各不相同,通过检测肠道中SCFA的变化,可以反应肠道中肠道菌群的变化.过敏性疾病患儿在早期与正常儿童肠道中的肠道菌群有明显差异,故SCFA的种类和数量也表现出明显的差异.有研究显示过敏性疾病患儿肠道中丙酸、异丁酸、丁酸、异戊酸、戊酸的水平较正常儿童低,而乙酸和异己酸的水平则较高.开展这方面的研究,对于探索肠道菌群及其代谢产物与过敏性疾病发病机制的关系有十分重要的意义.     

小鼠肠道类器官三种不同条件培养基的比较研究

摘要 目的：比较三种不同条件培养基对小鼠类器官形态和增殖速度的影响。方法：取C57BL/6小鼠的小肠和结肠,EDTA法分离隐窝,以基质胶包埋,加入不同小鼠肠道类器官培养基培养7 天,使用光学显微镜记录和比较类器官形成率和出芽情况。随后进行二代类器官培养,使用TrypLE将类器官消化为单细胞,重新包埋和培养,使用光学显微镜记录和比较不同类器官培养基对二代类器官的培养效率。采用荧光定量PCR比较不同条件培养类器官中干细胞标志物Lgr5和分化标志物MUC2的表达。使用免疫荧光法检测类器官中ki-67的表达。结果：对于小肠类器官的培养,使用条件培养基1、IntestiCult条件培养基和L-WRN培养基培养结肠类器官的形成率分别为（18.2±4.5） %、（63.8±4.0） %和（82.1±8.4） %。其中使用IntestiCult条件培养基培养类器官的出芽率更高。对于结肠类器官的培养,使用条件培养基1、IntestiCult条件培养基和L-WRN培养基培养结肠类器官的形成率分别为（17.3±7.3） %、（58.0±6.1） %和（46.3±7.4） %。对于二代类器官的培养,IntestiCult条件培养基和L-WRN培养基都能够支持消化为单细胞后的二代类器官培养。干细胞标志物Lgr5和分化细胞（杯状细胞）标志物MUC2的表达无明显差异。使用L-WRN培养基的类器官ki-67阳性比例更高,增殖速度更快。结论：本研究比较了三种不同条件培养基对小鼠类器官形态和增殖速度的影响。经过对比,L-WRN培养基更有利于小鼠肠道类器官的形成和增殖速度。     

肠道微生物与神经及精神疾病的研究现状

近年来随着微生物16S rRNA、高通量测序以及序列识别技术的成熟,肠道微生物与多种疾病相关性的研究呈蓬勃发展。大量的研究证据表明肠道微生物可通过刺激迷走神经、调节下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴功能、参与调节机体免疫系统、合成分泌神经递质、产生多种自身代谢产物(如短链脂肪酸、Lipid456、BDNF等小分子物质)机制参与中枢神经系统自身免疫性疾病、癫痫、神经变性疾病、抑郁症、自闭症、精神分裂症的发病过程。研究肠道微生物与中枢神经系统疾病的相互作用,为揭示复杂的中枢神经系统疾病以及精神疾病的发病机制提供科学证据,以期通过调解肠道菌群的微环境治疗神经精神类疾病。     

口腔及肠道菌群与冠心病关系的研究进展

冠心病是由多种病理因素引起的复杂疾病,严重威胁人类健康,其机制尚未完全阐明。近年来,研究表明冠心病与口腔和肠道菌群密切相关。菌群失调导致的炎症反应、氧化应激反应、脂质代谢失调和氧化三甲胺累积是参与冠心病发生的主要风险因素。此外,口腔菌群与肠道菌群相关,参与冠心病的发生与发展。中医治疗疾病的优势在于辨证论治,而证型的判断缺乏客观标准。多项研究应用口腔菌群或肠道菌群分析了疾病的中医证型。本文系统地阐述了口腔菌群和肠道菌群在冠心病发病机制中的作用,阐述了不同中医证型冠心病菌群分析的研究进展,为临床开展此类研究提供参考。     

Murine intestinal organoids resemble intestinal epithelium in their microRNA profiles

Intestinal organoids were established as an ex vivo model of the intestinal epithelium. We investigated whether organoids resemble the intestinal epithelium in their microRNA (miRNA) profiles. Total RNA samples were obtained from crypt and villus fractions in murine intestine and from cultured organoids. Microarray analysis showed that organoids largely resembled intestinal epithelial cells in their miRNA profiles. In silico prediction followed by qRT-PCR suggested that six genes are regulated by corresponding miRNAs along the crypt-villus axis, suggesting miRNA regulation of epithelial cell renewal in the intestine. However, such expression patterns of miRNAs and their target mRNAs were not reproduced during organoids maturation. This might be due to lack of luminal factors and endocrine, nervous, and immune systems in organoids and different cell populations between in vivo epithelium and organoids. Nevertheless, we propose that intestinal organoids provide a useful in vitro model to investigate miRNA expression in intestinal epithelial cells.     

肠绒毛消化法所得仔猪小肠上皮细胞的培养与鉴定

小肠上皮细胞作为肠道的主要功能细胞,在多种肠道疾病和上皮间质转化的研究中发挥着重要的作用。采取组织块消化和肠绒毛消化两种方法对新生仔猪小肠上皮细胞进行分离培养,传代后通过细胞形态学及免疫荧光等方法对其进行鉴定,结果表明:肠绒毛消化法所获得的小肠上皮细胞要远好于组织块消化法所得细胞,细胞在24～48h贴壁,呈现出典型的三角形或多角形样,10～12d细胞汇合成片、单层生长、互不重叠;细胞角蛋白18(cytokeratin-18)和尾型同源盒基因2(Cdx2)阳性,碱性磷酸酶检测阴性,扫描电镜下可以清楚地看到均匀分布的肠绒毛。以上结果表明,该实验成功建立出可连续传代并符合小肠上皮细胞鉴定标准的仔猪小肠上皮细胞。     

A Protocol for Lentiviral Transduction and Downstream Analysis of Intestinal Organoids

Intestinal crypt-villus structures termed organoids, can be kept in sustained culture three dimensionally when supplemented with the appropriate growth factors. Since organoids are highly similar to the original tissue in terms of homeostatic stem cell differentiation, cell polarity and presence of all terminally differentiated cell types known to the adult intestinal epithelium, they serve as an essential resource in experimental research on the epithelium. The possibility to express transgenes or interfering RNA using lentiviral or retroviral vectors in organoids has increased opportunities for functional analysis of the intestinal epithelium and intestinal stem cells, surpassing traditional mouse transgenics in speed and cost. In the current video protocol we show how to utilize transduction of small intestinal organoids with lentiviral vectors illustrated by use of doxycylin inducible transgenes, or IPTG inducible short hairpin RNA for overexpression or gene knockdown. Furthermore, considering organoid culture yields minute cell counts that may even be reduced by experimental treatment, we explain how to process organoids for downstream analysis aimed at quantitative RT-PCR, RNA-microarray and immunohistochemistry. Techniques that enable transgene expression and gene knock down in intestinal organoids contribute to the research potential that these intestinal epithelial structures hold, establishing organoid culture as a new standard in cell culture.     

Ex vivo culture of intestinal crypt organoids as a model system for assessing cell death induction in intestinal epithelial cells and enteropathy

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) not only have a critical function in the absorption of nutrients, but also act as a physical barrier between our body and the outside world. Damage and death of the epithelial cells lead to the breakdown of this barrier function and inflammation due to access of the immune system to compounds of the intestinal flora. Intestinal epithelial damage is frequently associated with various inflammatory disorders, chemo- and radiotherapy as well as drug-mediated toxicity. Until recently, intestinal epithelial-damaging activities of drugs and treatments could be tested only in vivo in animal models because of the poor survival rate of primary IECs ex vivo. The three-dimensional culture and outgrowth of intestinal crypt stem cells into organoids have offered new possibilities to culture and study IECs ex vivo. Here we demonstrate that intestinal organoids are a useful and physiologically relevant model system to study cell death and survival in IECs. We further describe a number of microscopy-based as well as colorimetric methods to monitor and score survival and death of intestinal organoids. Finally, the comparison of organoids isolated from gene-deficient mice and wild-type mice allows investigating the role of specific genes in the regulation of IEC death. Owing to their comparable structure and behavior, intestinal organoids may serve as an interesting and physiologically relevant surrogate system for large- and mid-scale in vitro testing of intestinal epithelium-damaging drugs and toxins, and for the investigation of cell death pathways.     

肠道干细胞和潘氏细胞在肠道稳态和疾病中的作用

肠道是最复杂的器官之一,负责营养的吸收和消化。肠道具有多层结构保护整个肠道免受病原体的侵害。肠道上皮是由单层柱状上皮细胞组成,是抵抗病原体的第一道屏障。因此,肠上皮必须保持完整性以保护肠免受感染和毒性剂的侵害。上皮细胞分为两个谱系(吸收型与分泌型),并且每隔3~4天脱落至肠腔中。细胞的快速更替是由于肠道干细胞的存在,肠道干细胞排列在隐窝底部终极分化的潘氏细胞之间并沿隐窝绒毛轴分化成不同的上皮细胞。一旦肠道干细胞受到损伤,潘氏细胞将通过提供WNT配体和Notch刺激来补充肠道干细胞。因此,潘氏细胞充当辅助细胞以维持干细胞微环境,即生态位。该综述探讨了干细胞和潘氏细胞之间的相互作用,进一步探讨了维持肠道稳态的信号通路。     

Intestinal stem cells and stem cell-based therapy for intestinal diseases

Currently, many gastrointestinal diseases are a major reason for the increased mortality rate of children and adults every year. Additionally, these patients may cope with the high cost of the parenteral nutrition (PN), which aids in the long-term survival of the patients. Other treatment options include surgical lengthening, which is not sufficient in many cases, and intestinal transplantation. However, intestinal transplantation is still accompanied by many challenges, including immune rejection and donor availability, which may limit the transplant’s success. The development of more safe and promising alternative treatments for intestinal diseases is still ongoing. Stem cell-based therapy (SCT) and tissue engineering (TE) appear to be the next promising choices for the regeneration of the damaged intestine. However, suitable stem cell source is required for the SCT and TE process. Thus, in this review we discuss how intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are a promising cell source for small intestine diseases. We will also discuss the different markers were used to identify ISCs. Moreover, we discuss the dominant Wnt signaling pathway in the ISC niche and its involvement in some intestinal diseases. Additionally, we discuss ISC culture and expansion, which are critical to providing enough cells for SCT and TE. Finally, we conclude and recommend that ISC isolation, culture and expansion should be considered when SCT is a treatment option for intestinal disorders. Therefore, we believe that ISCs should be considered a cell source for SCT for many gastrointestinal diseases and should be highlighted in future clinical applications.     

A Video Protocol of Retroviral Infection in Primary Intestinal Organoid Culture

Lgr5-positive stem cells can be supplemented with the essential growth factors Egf, Noggin, and R-Spondin, which allows us to culture ever-expanding primary 3D epithelial structures in vitro. Both the architecture and physiological properties of these ''mini-guts'', also called organoids, closely resemble their in vivo counterparts. This makes them an attractive model system for the small intestinal epithelium. Using retroviral transduction, functional genetics can now be performed by conditional gene overexpression or knockdown. This video demonstrates the procedure of organoid culture, the generation of retroviruses, and the retroviral transduction of organoids to assist phenotypic analysis of the small intestinal epithelium in vitro. This novel organotypic model system in combination with retroviral mediated gene expression provides a valuable tool for rapid analysis of gene function in vitro without the need of costly and time-consuming generation for transgenic animals.     

Intestinal stem cells and intestinal organoids

The intestinal epithelium is one of the most rapidly renewing tissues, which is fueled by stem cells at the base of the crypts. Strategies of genetic lineage tracing and organoids, which capture major features of original tissues, are powerful avenues for exploring the biology of intestinal stem cells in vivo and in vitro,respectively. The combination of intestinal organoideculturing system and genetic modification approaches provides an attractive platform to uncover the mechanism of colorectal cancer and genetic disorders in the human minigut. Here, we will provide a comprehensive overview of studies on intestinal epithelium and intestinal stem cells. We will also review the applications of organoids and genetic markers in intestinal research studies. Furthermore, we will discuss the advantages and drawbacks of organoids as disease models compared with mice models and cell lines.     

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 “enteroids” when derived from small intestine and “colonoids” 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.