In vitro patterning of pluripotent stem cell-derived intestine recapitulates in vivo human development.

ABSTRACT: The intestine plays a central role in digestion, nutrient absorption and metabolism, with individual regions of the intestine having distinct functional roles. Many examples of region-specific gene expression in the adult intestine are known, but how intestinal regional identity is established during development is a largely unresolved issue. Here, we have identified several genes that are expressed in a region-specific manner in the developing human intestine. Using human embryonic stem cell-derived intestinal organoids, we demonstrate that the duration of exposure to active FGF and WNT signaling controls regional identity. Short-term exposure to FGF4 and CHIR99021 (a GSK3β inhibitor that stabilizes β-catenin) resulted in organoids with gene expression patterns similar to developing human

SUBMITTER: Tsai YH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5358103 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature