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Hübscher T, Lorenzo-Martín LF, Barthlott T, Tillard L, Langer JJ, Rouse P, Blackburn CC, Holländer G, Lutolf MP. Thymic epithelial organoids mediate T-cell development. Development 2024; 151:dev202853. [PMID: 39036995 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202853] [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: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Although the advent of organoids has opened unprecedented perspectives for basic and translational research, immune system-related organoids remain largely underdeveloped. Here, we established organoids from the thymus, the lymphoid organ responsible for T-cell development. We identified conditions enabling mouse thymic epithelial progenitor cell proliferation and development into organoids with diverse cell populations and transcriptional profiles resembling in vivo thymic epithelial cells (TECs) more closely than traditional TEC cultures. In contrast to these two-dimensional cultures, thymic epithelial organoids maintained thymus functionality in vitro and mediated physiological T-cell development upon reaggregation with T-cell progenitors. The reaggregates showed in vivo-like epithelial diversity and the ability to attract T-cell progenitors. Thymic epithelial organoids are the first organoids originating from the stromal compartment of a lymphoid organ. They provide new opportunities to study TEC biology and T-cell development in vitro, paving the way for future thymic regeneration strategies in ageing or acute injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Hübscher
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - L Francisco Lorenzo-Martín
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Barthlott
- Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lucie Tillard
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jakob J Langer
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Paul Rouse
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - C Clare Blackburn
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Georg Holländer
- Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
- Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7TY, UK
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ), 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias P Lutolf
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Human Biology (IHB), Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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Abstract
In this review, Rothenburg discusses the gene regulatory network and chromatin-based kinetic constraints that determine activities of transcription factors in the primary establishment of T-cell identity. T-cell development in mammals is a model for lineage choice and differentiation from multipotent stem cells. Although T-cell fate choice is promoted by signaling in the thymus through one dominant pathway, the Notch pathway, it entails a complex set of gene regulatory network and chromatin state changes even before the cells begin to express their signature feature, the clonal-specific T-cell receptors (TCRs) for antigen. This review distinguishes three developmental modules for T-cell development, which correspond to cell type specification, TCR expression and selection, and the assignment of cells to different effector types. The first is based on transcriptional regulatory network events, the second is dominated by somatic gene rearrangement and mutation and cell selection, and the third corresponds to establishing a poised state of latent regulator priming through an unknown mechanism. Interestingly, in different lineages, the third module can be deployed at variable times relative to the completion of the first two modules. This review focuses on the gene regulatory network and chromatin-based kinetic constraints that determine activities of transcription factors TCF1, GATA3, PU.1, Bcl11b, Runx1, and E proteins in the primary establishment of T-cell identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen V Rothenberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
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Shim S, Belanger MC, Harris AR, Munson JM, Pompano RR. Two-way communication between ex vivo tissues on a microfluidic chip: application to tumor-lymph node interaction. LAB ON A CHIP 2019; 19:1013-1026. [PMID: 30742147 PMCID: PMC6416076 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00957k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Experimentally accessible tools to replicate the complex biological events of in vivo organs offer the potential to reveal mechanisms of disease and potential routes to therapy. In particular, models of inter-organ communication are emerging as the next essential step towards creating a body-on-a-chip, and may be particularly useful for poorly understood processes such as tumor immunity. In this paper, we report the first multi-compartment microfluidic chip that continuously recirculates a small volume of media through two ex vivo tissue samples to support inter-organ cross-talk via secreted factors. To test on-chip communication, protein release and capture were quantified using well-defined artificial tissue samples and model proteins. Proteins released by one sample were transferred to the downstream reservoir and detectable in the downstream sample. Next, the chip was applied to model the communication between a tumor and a lymph node, to test whether on-chip dual-organ culture could recreate key features of tumor-induced immune suppression. Slices of murine lymph node were co-cultured with tumor or healthy tissue on-chip with recirculating media, then tested for their ability to respond to T cell stimulation. Interestingly, lymph node slices co-cultured with tumor slices appeared more immunosuppressed than those co-cultured with healthy tissue, suggesting that the chip may successfully model some features of tumor-immune interaction. In conclusion, this new microfluidic system provides on-chip co-culture of pairs of tissue slices under continuous recirculating flow, and has the potential to model complex inter-organ communication ex vivo with full experimental accessibility of the tissues and their media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangjo Shim
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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Seach N, Mattesich M, Abberton K, Matsuda K, Tilkorn DJ, Rophael J, Boyd RL, Morrison WA. Vascularized tissue engineering mouse chamber model supports thymopoiesis of ectopic thymus tissue grafts. Tissue Eng Part C Methods 2010; 16:543-51. [PMID: 19715386 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tec.2009.0135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously established a chamber model of tissue engineering that promotes de novo angiogenesis and vascularization of engrafted cells and tissues when combined with an extracellular matrix. Here we demonstrate that the mouse chamber (MC) model can sustain ectopic grafts of murine fetal thymus lobes and, to a limited degree, human pediatric thymus tissue, resulting in de novo T-cell production. Silicone chambers containing Matrigel((R)) and thymus tissues were placed around exposed epigastric vessels and the ends sealed with bone wax, before implantation into the inguinal fat pad of athymic Balb/c(nu/nu) (nude) mice. Murine, embryonic day 15 (E15) thymus grafts were found to be well vascularized and viable within the MC upon harvest at week 11. In contrast, engraftment of both adult murine and pediatric human thymus tissue was limited, with only one out of the seven human thymus grafts sustaining mature, murine-derived T-cell development. Increased CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell numbers were observed in the peripheral blood of nude mice within 2 weeks after E15 thymus-MC grafts (n = 8), compared with nude control mice. Peripheral blood T-cell percentage and subset distribution were comparable to mice receiving conventional thymus kidney capsule grafts. T-cell function of both kidney capsule- and MC-E15 thymus grafts was established via successful rejection of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched skin grafts. Sustained growth of fetal thymus tissue in the MC provides an alternative model for the study of thymopoiesis and related applications of T-cell-mediated immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Seach
- Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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Holland AM, Zakrzewski JL, Goldberg GL, Ghosh A, van den Brink MRM. Adoptive precursor cell therapy to enhance immune reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in mouse and man. Semin Immunopathol 2008; 30:479-87. [PMID: 19015856 DOI: 10.1007/s00281-008-0138-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2008] [Accepted: 10/01/2008] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a curative therapy for hematological malignancies. T cell deficiency following transplantation is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In this review, we discuss adoptive transfer of committed precursor cells to enhance T cell reconstitution and improve overall prognosis after transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Holland
- Department of Immunology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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Michaels MA, Kang HK, Kaliyaperumal A, Satyaraj E, Shi Y, Datta SK. A Defect in Deletion of Nucleosome-Specific Autoimmune T Cells in Lupus-Prone Thymus: Role of Thymic Dendritic Cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2005; 175:5857-65. [PMID: 16237078 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.175.9.5857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
To study central tolerance to the major product of ongoing apoptosis in the thymus, we made new lines of transgenic (Tg) mice expressing TCR of a pathogenic autoantibody-inducing Th cell that was specific for nucleosomes and its histone peptide H4(71-94). In the lupus-prone (SWR x NZB)F1 (SNF1) thymus, introduction of the lupus TCR transgene caused no deletion, but marked down-regulation of the Tg TCR and up-regulation of endogenous TCRs. Paradoxically, autoimmune disease was suppressed in the alphabetaTCR Tg SNF1 mice with induction of highly potent regulatory T cells in the periphery. By contrast, in the MHC-matched, normal (SWR x B10. D2)F1 (SBF1), or in the normal SWR backgrounds, marked deletion of transgenic thymocytes occurred. Thymic lymphoid cells of the normal or lupus-prone mice were equally susceptible to deletion by anti-CD3 Ab or irradiation. However, in the steady state, spontaneous presentation of naturally processed peptides related to the nucleosomal autoepitope was markedly greater by thymic dendritic cells (DC) from normal mice than that from lupus mice. Unmanipulated thymic DC of SNF1 mice expressed lesser amounts of MHC class II and costimulatory molecules than their normal counterparts. These results indicate that apoptotic nucleosomal autoepitopes are naturally processed and presented to developing thymocytes, and a relative deficiency in the natural display of nucleosomal autoepitopes by thymic DC occurs in lupus-prone SNF1 mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa A Michaels
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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Erickson M, Morkowski S, Lehar S, Gillard G, Beers C, Dooley J, Rubin JS, Rudensky A, Farr AG. Regulation of thymic epithelium by keratinocyte growth factor. Blood 2002; 100:3269-78. [PMID: 12384427 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2002-04-1036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we demonstrate that keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and FGFR2IIIb signaling can affect development and function of thymic epithelium (TE) and that alphabeta-lineage thymocytes contribute to intrathymic levels of KGF. Thymocyte expression of KGF is developmentally regulated, being undetectable in CD3-4-8- thymocytes and expressed at highest levels by mature CD4 or CD8 thymocytes. Exposure of thymocyte-depleted fetal thymic lobes to KGF resulted in reduced thymic epithelial expression of class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC), invariant chain (Ii), and cathepsin L (CatL) molecules involved in thymocyte-positive selection and also stimulated expression of the cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6) and thymic stromal-derived lymphopoietin (TSLP), while having little effect on IL-7 or stem cell factor expression. Within intact fetal thymic organ culture (FTOC), exogenous KGF impairs the generation of CD4 thymocytes. Two lines of evidence point to responsiveness of the medullary TE compartment to KGF and FGFR2IIIb signaling. First, the medullary compartment is expanded in intact FTOC exposed to KGF in vitro. Second, in the RAG-deficient thymus, where the thymocytes do not express detectable levels of KGF message, the hypoplastic medullary TE compartment can be expanded by administration of recombinant KGF in vivo. This expansion is accompanied by restoration of the normal profile of medullary TE-associated chemokine expression in the RAG2(-/-) thymus. Collectively, these findings point to a role for KGF and FGFR signaling in the development and function of thymic epithelium.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte/biosynthesis
- Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte/genetics
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/cytology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Cathepsin L
- Cathepsins/biosynthesis
- Cathepsins/genetics
- Clonal Deletion
- Cysteine Endopeptidases
- Cytokines/biosynthesis
- Cytokines/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/deficiency
- DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/physiology
- Epithelial Cells/drug effects
- Female
- Fibroblast Growth Factor 1/pharmacology
- Fibroblast Growth Factor 10
- Fibroblast Growth Factor 2/pharmacology
- Fibroblast Growth Factor 7
- Fibroblast Growth Factors/biosynthesis
- Fibroblast Growth Factors/genetics
- Fibroblast Growth Factors/pharmacology
- Fibroblast Growth Factors/physiology
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/biosynthesis
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/genetics
- Humans
- Interleukin-6/biosynthesis
- Interleukin-6/genetics
- Lysosomes/enzymology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Nuclear Proteins
- Organ Culture Techniques
- Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2
- Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor/drug effects
- Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor/genetics
- Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor/physiology
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/pharmacology
- Signal Transduction
- Stromal Cells/metabolism
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/cytology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/embryology
- Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Erickson
- Department of Biological Structure, School of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7420, USA
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Michie AM, Trop S, Wiest DL, Zúñiga-Pflücker JC. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation by the pre-T cell receptor in developing thymocytes in vivo. J Exp Med 1999; 190:1647-56. [PMID: 10587355 PMCID: PMC2195734 DOI: 10.1084/jem.190.11.1647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/1999] [Accepted: 09/29/1999] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The first checkpoint in T cell development occurs between the CD4(-)CD8(-) and CD4(+)CD8(+) stages and is associated with formation of the pre-T cell receptor (TCR). The signaling mechanisms that drive this progression remain largely unknown. Here, we show that extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs)-1/2 are activated upon engagement of the pre-TCR. Using a novel experimental system, we demonstrate that expression of the pre-TCR by developing thymocytes induces ERK-1/2 activation within the thymus. In addition, the activation of this pre-TCR signaling cascade is mediated through Lck. These findings directly link pre-TCR complex formation with specific downstream signaling components in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison M. Michie
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Sébastien Trop
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1A3, Canada
| | - David L. Wiest
- Division of Basic Sciences, Immunobiology Working Group, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111
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