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Jackson R, Rajadhyaksha EV, Loeffler RS, Flores CE, Van Doorslaer K. Characterization of 3D organotypic epithelial tissues reveals tonsil-specific differences in tonic interferon signaling. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292368. [PMID: 37792852 PMCID: PMC10550192 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) culturing techniques can recapitulate the stratified nature of multicellular epithelial tissues. Organotypic 3D epithelial tissue culture methods have several applications, including the study of tissue development and function, drug discovery and toxicity testing, host-pathogen interactions, and the development of tissue-engineered constructs for use in regenerative medicine. We grew 3D organotypic epithelial tissues from foreskin, cervix, and tonsil-derived primary cells and characterized the transcriptome of these in vitro tissue equivalents. Using the same 3D culturing method, all three tissues yielded stratified squamous epithelium, validated histologically using basal and superficial epithelial cell markers. The goal of this study was to use RNA-seq to compare gene expression patterns in these three types of epithelial tissues to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying their function and identify potential therapeutic targets for various diseases. Functional profiling by over-representation and gene set enrichment analysis revealed tissue-specific differences: i.e., cutaneous homeostasis and lipid metabolism in foreskin, extracellular matrix remodeling in cervix, and baseline innate immune differences in tonsil. Specifically, tonsillar epithelia may play an active role in shaping the immune microenvironment of the tonsil balancing inflammation and immune responses in the face of constant exposure to microbial insults. Overall, these data serve as a resource, with gene sets made available for the research community to explore, and as a foundation for understanding the epithelial heterogeneity and how it may impact their in vitro use. An online resource is available to investigate these data (https://viz.datascience.arizona.edu/3DEpiEx/).
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Jackson
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Esha V. Rajadhyaksha
- College of Medicine and College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Reid S. Loeffler
- Biosystems Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Caitlyn E. Flores
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Koenraad Van Doorslaer
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Immunobiology, Cancer Biology Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, and University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
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Jackson R, Rajadhyaksha EV, Loeffler RS, Flores CE, Van Doorslaer K. Characterization of 3D organotypic epithelial tissues reveals tonsil-specific differences in tonic interferon signaling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.19.524743. [PMID: 36711548 PMCID: PMC9882319 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.19.524743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) culturing techniques can recapitulate the stratified nature of multicellular epithelial tissues. Organotypic 3D epithelial tissue culture methods have several applications, including the study of tissue development and function, drug discovery and toxicity testing, host-pathogen interactions, and the development of tissue-engineered constructs for use in regenerative medicine. We grew 3D organotypic epithelial tissues from foreskin, cervix, and tonsil-derived primary cells and characterized the transcriptome of these in vitro tissue equivalents. Using the same 3D culturing method, all three tissues yielded stratified squamous epithelium, validated histologically using basal and superficial epithelial cell markers. The goal of this study was to use RNA-seq to compare gene expression patterns in these three types of epithelial tissues to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying their function and identify potential therapeutic targets for various diseases. Functional profiling by over-representation and gene set enrichment analysis revealed tissue-specific differences: i.e. , cutaneous homeostasis and lipid metabolism in foreskin, extracellular matrix remodeling in cervix, and baseline innate immune differences in tonsil. Specifically, tonsillar epithelia may play an active role in shaping the immune microenvironment of the tonsil balancing inflammation and immune responses in the face of constant exposure to microbial insults. Overall, these data serve as a resource, with gene sets made available for the research community to explore, and as a foundation for understanding the epithelial heterogeneity and how it may impact their in vitro use. An online resource is available to investigate these data ( https://viz.datascience.arizona.edu/3DEpiEx/ ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Jackson
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Esha V Rajadhyaksha
- College of Medicine and College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Reid S Loeffler
- Biosystems Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; College of Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Caitlyn E Flores
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Koenraad Van Doorslaer
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Department of Immunobiology; Cancer Biology Graduate Interdisciplinary Program; Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program; and University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ USA
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