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Luminal and Glandular Epithelial Cells from the Porcine Endometrium maintain Cell Type-Specific Marker Gene Expression in Air-Liquid Interface Culture. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2022; 18:2928-2938. [PMID: 35849251 PMCID: PMC9622560 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-022-10410-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Two different types of epithelial cells constitute the inner surface of the endometrium. While luminal epithelial cells line the uterine cavity and build the embryo-maternal contact zone, glandular epithelial cells form tubular glands reaching deeply into the endometrial stroma. To facilitate investigations considering the functional and molecular differences between the two populations of epithelial cells and their contribution to reproductive processes, we aimed at establishing differentiated in vitro models of both the luminal and the glandular epithelium of the porcine endometrium using an air–liquid interface (ALI) approach. We first tested if porcine luminal endometrium epithelial cells (PEEC-L) reproducibly form differentiated epithelial monolayers under ALI conditions by monitoring the morphology and the trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Subsequently, luminal (PEEC-L) and glandular epithelial cells (PEEC-G) were consecutively isolated from the endometrium of the uterine horn. Both cell types were characterized by marker gene expression analysis immediately after isolation. Cells were separately grown at the ALI and assessed by means of histomorphometry, TEER, and marker gene expression after 3 weeks of culture. PEEC-L and PEEC-G formed polarized monolayers of differentiated epithelial cells with a moderate TEER and in vivo-like morphology at the ALI. They exhibited distinct patterns of functional and cell type-specific marker gene expression after isolation and largely maintained these patterns during the culture period. The here presented cell culture procedure for PEEC-L and -G offers new opportunities to study the impact of embryonic signals, endocrine effectors, and reproductive toxins on both porcine endometrial epithelial cell types under standardized in vitro conditions.
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Abo KM, Sainz de Aja J, Lindstrom-Vautrin J, Alysandratos KD, Richards A, Garcia-de-Alba C, Huang J, Hix OT, Werder RB, Bullitt E, Hinds A, Falconer I, Villacorta-Martin C, Jaenisch R, Kim CF, Kotton DN, Wilson AA. Air-liquid interface culture promotes maturation and allows environmental exposure of pluripotent stem cell-derived alveolar epithelium. JCI Insight 2022; 7:155589. [PMID: 35315362 PMCID: PMC8986076 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.155589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AT2s), facultative progenitor cells of the lung alveolus, play a vital role in the biology of the distal lung. In vitro model systems that incorporate human cells, recapitulate the biology of primary AT2s, and interface with the outside environment could serve as useful tools to elucidate functional characteristics of AT2s in homeostasis and disease. We and others recently adapted human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived AT2s (iAT2s) for air-liquid interface (ALI) culture. Here, we comprehensively characterize the effects of ALI culture on iAT2s and benchmark their transcriptional profile relative to both freshly sorted and cultured primary human fetal and adult AT2s. We find that iAT2s cultured at ALI maintain an AT2 phenotype while upregulating expression of transcripts associated with AT2 maturation. We then leverage this platform to assay the effects of exposure to clinically significant, inhaled toxicants including cigarette smoke and electronic cigarette vapor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine M Abo
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Julio Sainz de Aja
- Stem Cell Program and Divisions of Hematology/Oncology and Pulmonary & Respiratory Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan Lindstrom-Vautrin
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Konstantinos-Dionysios Alysandratos
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alexsia Richards
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Carolina Garcia-de-Alba
- Stem Cell Program and Divisions of Hematology/Oncology and Pulmonary & Respiratory Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jessie Huang
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Olivia T Hix
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rhiannon B Werder
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Esther Bullitt
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anne Hinds
- The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Isaac Falconer
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Carlos Villacorta-Martin
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rudolf Jaenisch
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Carla F Kim
- Stem Cell Program and Divisions of Hematology/Oncology and Pulmonary & Respiratory Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Darrell N Kotton
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew A Wilson
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Chen S, Schoen J. Air-liquid interface cell culture: From airway epithelium to the female reproductive tract. Reprod Domest Anim 2020; 54 Suppl 3:38-45. [PMID: 31512315 DOI: 10.1111/rda.13481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The air-liquid interface (ALI) approach is primarily used to mimic respiratory tract epithelia in vitro. It is also known to support excellent differentiation of 3D multilayered skin models. To establish an ALI culture, epithelial cells are seeded into compartmentalized culture systems on porous filter supports or gel substrata. After an initial propagation period, the culture medium is removed from the apical side of the epithelium, exposing the cells to the surrounding air. Therefore, nutritive supply to the cells is warranted only by the basolateral cell pole. Under these conditions, the epithelial cells differentiate and regain full baso-apical polarity. Some types of epithelia even generate in vivo-like apical fluid or mucus. Interestingly, the ALI culture approach has also been shown to support morphological and functional differentiation of epithelial cells that are not normally exposed to ambient air in vivo. This review aims at giving a brief overview on the characteristics of ALI cultures in general and ALI models of female reproductive tract epithelia in particular. We discuss the applicability of ALI models for the investigation of the early embryonic microenvironment and for its implications in assisted reproductive technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Chen
- Institute of Reproductive Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Jennifer Schoen
- Institute of Reproductive Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
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DiMarco RL, Su J, Yan KS, Dewi R, Kuo CJ, Heilshorn SC. Engineering of three-dimensional microenvironments to promote contractile behavior in primary intestinal organoids. Integr Biol (Camb) 2014; 6:127-142. [PMID: 24343706 DOI: 10.1039/c3ib40188j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Multiple culture techniques now exist for the long-term maintenance of neonatal primary murine intestinal organoids in vitro; however, the achievement of contractile behavior within cultured organoids has thus far been infrequent and unpredictable. Here we combine finite element simulation of oxygen transport and quantitative comparative analysis of cellular microenvironments to elucidate the critical variables that promote reproducible intestinal organoid contraction. Experimentally, oxygen distribution was manipulated by adjusting the ambient oxygen concentration along with the use of semi-permeable membranes to enhance transport. The culture microenvironment was further tailored through variation of collagen type-I matrix density, addition of exogenous R-spondin1, and specification of culture geometry. "Air-liquid interface" cultures resulted in significantly higher numbers of contractile cultures relative to traditional submerged cultures. These interface cultures were confirmed to have enhanced and more symmetric oxygen transport relative to traditional submerged cultures. While oxygen availability was found to impact in vitro contraction rate and the orientation of contractile movement, it was not a key factor in enabling contractility. For all conditions tested, reproducible contractile behavior only occurred within a consistent and narrow range of collagen type-I matrix densities with porosities of approximately 20% and storage moduli near 30 Pa. This suggests that matrix density acts as a "permissive switch" that enables contractions to occur. Similarly, contractions were only observed in cultures with diameters less than 15.5 mm that had relatively large interfacial surface area between the compliant matrix and the rigid culture dish. Taken together, these data suggest that spatial geometry and mechanics of the microenvironment, which includes both the encapsulating matrix as well as the surrounding culture device, may be key determinants of intestinal organoid functionality. As peristaltic contractility is a crucial requirement for normal digestive tract function, this achievement of reproducible organoid contraction marks a pivotal advancement towards engineering physiologically functional replacement tissue constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L DiMarco
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - James Su
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kelley S Yan
- Department of Medicine, Hematology Division, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ruby Dewi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Calvin J Kuo
- Department of Medicine, Hematology Division, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sarah C Heilshorn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Lacroix-Pépin N, Danyod G, Krishnaswamy N, Mondal S, Rong PM, Chapdelaine P, Fortier MA. The multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 (MRP4) appears as a functional carrier of prostaglandins regulated by oxytocin in the bovine endometrium. Endocrinology 2011; 152:4993-5004. [PMID: 21990316 DOI: 10.1210/en.2011-1406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Prostaglandins (PG) are involved in several female reproductive processes, and their action is regulated at the levels of biosynthesis, catabolism, and signal transduction. Facilitated transport across cell membranes emerges as an additional checkpoint regulating PG action. We have already reported on the influx transporter solute carrier organic anion transporting polypeptide (SLCO2A1) [PG transporter (PGT)] in relation to PG action in the bovine endometrium. In the present study, we report on the functional expression and regulation of multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 (MRP4)/ATP-binding cassette carrier 4, an alternate PG transporter belonging to the ATP-binding cassette carrier (ABC) family. We have found that MRP4 protein was present throughout the estrous cycle and exhibited a pattern of expression similar to that of PGT with maximal expression during early-mid luteal phase in the bovine endometrium. Functional expression and regulation of MRP4 was studied in vitro using the newly developed bovine endometrial epithelial bEEL and stromal CSC cell lines. Oxytocin (OT) stimulated PGF2α production and MRP4 mRNA and protein in a time- and dose-dependent manner but had no effect on PGT. OT induced preferred accumulation of PG outside the cells and secretion toward the basolateral side of polarized bEEL cells grown on membrane inserts. MK-571 and indomethacin, two documented inhibitors of MRP4 activity, blocked preferred accumulation of PG, but interferon-τ and NS-398 had no effect on MRP4 expression or the direction of PG transport. Our results suggest that MRP4 is a functional PG carrier under the regulation of OT in the bovine endometrium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Lacroix-Pépin
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Québec, Département d'Obstétrique et Gynécologie, Unité d'Ontogénie et Reproduction, Centre de Recherche en Biologie de la Reproduction, Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada
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Contreras CM, Gurumurthy S, Haynie JM, Shirley LJ, Akbay EA, Wingo SN, Schorge JO, Broaddus RR, Wong KK, Bardeesy N, Castrillon DH. Loss of Lkb1 provokes highly invasive endometrial adenocarcinomas. Cancer Res 2008; 68:759-66. [PMID: 18245476 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-07-5014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in the LKB1 tumor suppressor gene result in the Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, an autosomal dominant condition characterized by hamartomatous polyps of the gastrointestinal tract and a dramatically increased risk of epithelial malignancies at other sites, including the female reproductive tract. Here we show that female mice heterozygous for a null Lkb1 allele spontaneously develop highly invasive endometrial adenocarcinomas. To prove that these lesions were indeed due to Lkb1 inactivation, we introduced an adenoviral Cre vector into the uterine lumen of mice harboring a conditional allele of Lkb1. This endometrial-specific deletion of the Lkb1 gene provoked highly invasive and sometimes metastatic endometrial adenocarcinomas closely resembling those observed in Lkb1 heterozygotes. Tumors were extremely well differentiated and histopathologically distinctive and exhibited alterations in AMP-dependent kinase signaling. Although Lkb1 has been implicated in the establishment of cell polarity, and loss of polarity defines most endometrial cancers, Lkb1-driven endometrial cancers paradoxically exhibit (given their highly invasive phenotype) normal cell polarity and apical differentiation. In human endometrial cancers, Lkb1 expression was inversely correlated with tumor grade and stage, arguing that Lkb1 inactivation or down-regulation also contributes to endometrial cancer progression in women. This study shows that Lkb1 plays an important role in the malignant transformation of endometrium and that Lkb1 loss promotes a highly invasive phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina M Contreras
- Department of Pathology, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9072, USA
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Alexopoulos NI, Vajta G, Maddox-Hyttel P, French AJ, Trounson AO. Stereomicroscopic and histological examination of bovine embryos following extended in vitro culture. Reprod Fertil Dev 2005; 17:799-808. [PMID: 16476207 DOI: 10.1071/rd04104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2004] [Accepted: 09/30/2005] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Attempts to support survival of mammalian embryos after hatching have met with limited success, although some mouse studies have reported growth at the post-implantation stage. The aim of the present research was to establish and characterise an in vitro culture system that could support extended growth and differentiation of bovine embryos. Abattoir-derived oocytes were matured and fertilised in vitro. Presumptive zygotes were cultured in modified synthetic oviduct fluid (SOFaaci) medium supplemented with 5% cow serum (CS). On Day 9, single hatched blastocysts (n = 160) were randomly allocated to SOFaaci supplemented with either 5% bovine serum albumin, 5% CS, 5% fetal calf serum (FCS) or SOF only and cultured on a collagen gel substrate for up to 45 days. Embryos were evaluated at various time-points until complete disaggregation or the total disappearance of embryonic cells. Blastocyst viability post hatching was severely compromised in protein-free SOFaaci medium. Addition of FCS generated increased embryonic growth for the longest time period (Day 45) when compared to the other groups. Long-term survival of embryonic cells was observed stereomicroscopically by the proliferation and development of three-dimensional tubular structures to 85% confluence in culture. Haematoxylin and eosin staining of morphological structures obtained from all treatment groups revealed embryos displaying trophoblast, inner cell mass and hypoblast development to varying degrees. Regardless of treatment, extended in vitro culture did not result in development comparable with that described for in vivo embryos. In the present work, however, there was evidence of extended culture of bovine embryos beyond that achieved previously. However, further research is required to identify the exact requirements for extended in vitro culture for bovine embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie I Alexopoulos
- Centre for Reproduction and Development, Monash Institute of Medical Research, 246 Clayton Road, Monash University, Clayton, Vic. 3168, Australia
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Munson L, Ellington JE, Schlafer DH. Bovine trophoblastic cell vesicle attachment to polarized endometrial epithelial cells in vitro. IN VITRO CELLULAR & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY : JOURNAL OF THE TISSUE CULTURE ASSOCIATION 1991; 27:31-8. [PMID: 2013551 DOI: 10.1007/bf02630892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between bovine trophoblastic cell vesicles and bovine endometrial epithelial cells were investigated by light and electron microscopy and lectin histochemistry in a cell culture model of early blastocyst attachment. Primary lines of bovine endometrial epithelial cells were polarized by subculturing on substrata and maintaining cultures at the air-medium interface. Trophoblastic cell vesicles were obtained from elongated Day 14 blastocysts. In co-cultures, trophoblastic cell vesicles adhered to endometrial epithelial cells through microvillus interdigitation and formation of primitive membrane junctional complexes. After 3 d in co-culture, a multilayered cellular plaque formed at the trophoblastic cell-endometrial epithelial cell interface. The type of cells contributing to this local proliferative response could not be identified specifically as trophoblastic or endometrial cells, and areas of membrane fusion between cells were noted. Ultrastructural features of vesicle adhesion in cultures were similar to features of conceptus attachment in vivo. Lectins bound to apical membranes of trophoblastic cells and endometrial epithelial cells in all locations except contact sites between vesicles and endometrial cells. These findings suggest that local cellular proliferation and membrane fusion between trophoblastic and endometrial epithelial cells may be early events in conceptus implantation in the cow and these events can be reproduced in culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Munson
- Department of Pathology, New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca 14853
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