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Bloise N, Giannaccari M, Guagliano G, Peluso E, Restivo E, Strada S, Volpini C, Petrini P, Visai L. Growing Role of 3D In Vitro Cell Cultures in the Study of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms: Short Focus on Breast Cancer, Endometriosis, Liver and Infectious Diseases. Cells 2024; 13:1054. [PMID: 38920683 PMCID: PMC11201503 DOI: 10.3390/cells13121054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, the development of three-dimensional (3D) models has increased exponentially, facilitating the unravelling of fundamental and essential cellular mechanisms by which cells communicate with each other, assemble into tissues and organs and respond to biochemical and biophysical stimuli under both physiological and pathological conditions. This section presents a concise overview of the most recent updates on the significant contribution of different types of 3D cell cultures including spheroids, organoids and organ-on-chip and bio-printed tissues in advancing our understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms. The case studies presented include the 3D cultures of breast cancer (BC), endometriosis, the liver microenvironment and infections. In BC, the establishment of 3D culture models has permitted the visualization of the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the delivery of exosomes, as well as the significance of the physical properties of the extracellular matrix in promoting cell proliferation and invasion. This approach has also become a valuable tool in gaining insight into general and specific mechanisms of drug resistance. Given the considerable heterogeneity of endometriosis, 3D models offer a more accurate representation of the in vivo microenvironment, thereby facilitating the identification and translation of novel targeted therapeutic strategies. The advantages provided by 3D models of the hepatic environment, in conjunction with the high throughput characterizing various platforms, have enabled the elucidation of complex molecular mechanisms underlying various threatening hepatic diseases. A limited number of 3D models for gut and skin infections have been developed. However, a more profound comprehension of the spatial and temporal interactions between microbes, the host and their environment may facilitate the advancement of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo disease models. Additionally, it may pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic approaches in diverse research fields. The interested reader will also find concluding remarks on the challenges and prospects of using 3D cell cultures for discovering cellular and molecular mechanisms in the research areas covered in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Bloise
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
- UOR6 Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation in Occupational Medicine and Specialty Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Operative Unit (OU) of University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Marialaura Giannaccari
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
| | - Giuseppe Guagliano
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, P.zza L. Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.G.); (P.P.)
| | - Emanuela Peluso
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
| | - Elisa Restivo
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
| | - Silvia Strada
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
- UOR6 Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation in Occupational Medicine and Specialty Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Cristina Volpini
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
- UOR6 Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation in Occupational Medicine and Specialty Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Paola Petrini
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, P.zza L. Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.G.); (P.P.)
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Operative Unit (OU) of Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Livia Visai
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
- UOR6 Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation in Occupational Medicine and Specialty Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Operative Unit (OU) of University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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Ichinohe N, Tanimizu N, Ishigami K, Yoshioka Y, Fujitani N, Ochiya T, Takahashi M, Mitaka T. CINC-2 and miR-199a-5p in EVs secreted by transplanted Thy1 + cells activate hepatocytic progenitor cell growth in rat liver regeneration. Stem Cell Res Ther 2023; 14:134. [PMID: 37194082 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-023-03346-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells (SHPCs) are hepatocytic progenitor cells that transiently form clusters in rat livers treated with retrorsine (Ret) that underwent 70% partial hepatectomy (PH). We previously reported that transplantation of Thy1+ cells obtained from D-galactosamine-treated livers promotes SHPC expansion, thereby accelerating liver regeneration. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by Thy1+ cells induce sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) and Kupffer cells (KCs) to secrete IL17B and IL25, respectively, thereby activating SHPCs through IL17 receptor B (RB) signaling. This study aimed to identify the inducers of IL17RB signaling and growth factors for SHPC proliferation in EVs secreted by Thy1+ cells (Thy1-EVs). METHODS Thy1+ cells isolated from the livers of rats treated with D-galactosamine were cultured. Although some liver stem/progenitor cells (LSPCs) proliferated to form colonies, others remained as mesenchymal cells (MCs). Thy1-MCs or Thy1-LSPCs were transplanted into Ret/PH-treated livers to examine their effects on SHPCs. EVs were isolated from the conditioned medium (CM) of Thy1-MCs and Thy1-LSPCs. Small hepatocytes (SHs) isolated from adult rat livers were used to identify factors regulating cell growth in Thy1-EVs. RESULTS The size of SHPC clusters transplanted with Thy1-MCs was significantly larger than that of SHPC clusters transplanted with Thy1-LSPCs (p = 0.02). A comprehensive analysis of Thy1-MC-EVs revealed that miR-199a-5p, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-2 (CINC-2), and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) were candidates for promoting SHPC growth. Additionally, miR-199a-5p mimics promoted the growth of SHs (p = 0.02), whereas CINC-2 and MCP-1 did not. SECs treated with CINC-2 induced Il17b expression. KCs treated with Thy1-EVs induced the expression of CINC-2, Il25, and miR-199a-5p. CM derived from SECs treated with CINC-2 accelerated the growth of SHs (p = 0.03). Similarly, CM derived from KCs treated with Thy1-EVs and miR-199a-5p mimics accelerated the growth of SHs (p = 0.007). In addition, although miR-199a-overexpressing EVs could not enhance SHPC proliferation, transplantation of miR-199a-overexpressing Thy1-MCs could promote the expansion of SHPC clusters. CONCLUSION Thy1-MC transplantation may accelerate liver regeneration owing to SHPC expansion, which is induced by CINC-2/IL17RB signaling and miR-199a-5p via SEC and KC activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norihisa Ichinohe
- Department of Tissue Development and Regeneration, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan.
| | - Naoki Tanimizu
- Department of Tissue Development and Regeneration, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ishigami
- Department of Tissue Development and Regeneration, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Yusuke Yoshioka
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoki Fujitani
- Department of Biochemistry, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ochiya
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motoko Takahashi
- Department of Biochemistry, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Mitaka
- Department of Tissue Development and Regeneration, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan.
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Kaur I, Vasudevan A, Rawal P, Tripathi DM, Ramakrishna S, Kaur S, Sarin SK. Primary Hepatocyte Isolation and Cultures: Technical Aspects, Challenges and Advancements. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:131. [PMID: 36829625 PMCID: PMC9952008 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10020131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocytes are differentiated cells that account for 80% of the hepatic volume and perform all major functions of the liver. In vivo, after an acute insult, adult hepatocytes retain their ability to proliferate and participate in liver regeneration. However, in vitro, prolonged culture and proliferation of viable and functional primary hepatocytes have remained the major and the most challenging goal of hepatocyte-based cell therapies and liver tissue engineering. The first functional cultures of rat primary hepatocytes between two layers of collagen gel, also termed as the "sandwich cultures", were reported in 1989. Since this study, several technical developments including choice of hydrogels, type of microenvironment, growth factors and culture conditions, mono or co-cultures of hepatocytes along with other supporting cell types have evolved for both rat and human primary hepatocytes in recent years. All these improvements have led to a substantial improvement in the number, life-span and hepatic functions of these cells in vitro for several downstream applications. In the current review, we highlight the details, limitations and prospects of different technical strategies being used in primary hepatocyte cultures. We discuss the use of newer biomaterials as scaffolds for efficient culture of primary hepatocytes. We also describe the derivation of mature hepatocytes from other cellular sources such as induced pluripotent stem cells, bone marrow stem cells and 3D liver organoids. Finally, we also explain the use of perfusion-based bioreactor systems and bioengineering strategies to support the long-term function of hepatocytes in 3D conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Impreet Kaur
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi 110070, India
| | - Ashwini Vasudevan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi 110070, India
| | - Preety Rawal
- School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida 201312, India
| | - Dinesh M. Tripathi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi 110070, India
| | - Seeram Ramakrishna
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117581, Singapore
| | - Savneet Kaur
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi 110070, India
| | - Shiv K. Sarin
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi 110070, India
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Establishment and Characterization of an HBV Viral Spread and Infectious System following Long-Term Passage of an HBV Clinical Isolate in the Primary Human Hepatocyte and Fibroblast Coculture System. J Virol 2022; 96:e0084922. [PMID: 36037476 PMCID: PMC9517703 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00849-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The existing cell culture-based methods to study hepatitis B virus (HBV) have limitations and do not allow for viral long-term passage. The aim of this study was to develop a robust in vitro long-term viral passage system with optimized cell culture conditions and a viral isolate with the ability to spread and passage. An HBV genotype A clinical isolate was subjected to multiple rounds of UV treatment and passaged in an optimized primary human hepatocyte (PHH)/human fibroblast coculture system. The passaged UV-treated virus was sequenced and further characterized. In addition, a panel of mutant viruses containing different combinations of mutations observed in this virus was investigated. The clinical isolate was passaged for 20 rounds with 21 days per round in an optimized PHH/human fibroblast coculture system while subject to UV mutagenesis. This passaged UV-mutated isolate harbored four mutations: G225A (sR24K) in the S gene, A2062T in the core gene, and two mutations G1764A and C1766T (xV131I) in the basal core promoter (BCP) region. In vitro characterization of the four mutations suggested that the two BCP mutations G1764A and C1766T contributed to the increased viral replication and viral infectivity. A robust in vitro long-term HBV viral passage system has been established by passaging a UV-treated clinical isolate in an optimized PHH/fibroblast coculture system. The two BCP mutations played a key role in the virus's ability to passage. This passage system can be used for studying the entire life cycle of HBV and has the potential for in vitro drug-resistance selection upon further optimization. IMPORTANCE The existing cell culture-based methods to study HBV have limitations and do not allow for viral long-term passage. In this study, an HBV genotype A clinical isolate was subjected to multiple rounds of UV treatment and passaged in an optimized PHH/human fibroblast coculture system. This passaged UV-mutated isolate carried four mutations across the HBV genome, and in vitro characterization of the four mutations suggested that the two basal core promoter (BCP) mutations G1764A and C1766T played a key role in the virus's ability to passage. In summary, we have developed a robust in vitro long-term HBV viral passage system by passaging an UV-treated HBV genotype A clinical isolate in an optimized PHH/human fibroblast coculture system. This passage system can be used for studying the entire life cycle of HBV and has the potential for in vitro drug-resistance selection upon further optimization.
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