A bipotential organoid model of respiratory epithelium recapitulates high infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

ABSTRACT: The airways and alveoli of the human respiratory tract are lined by two distinct types of epithelium, which are the primary targets of respiratory viruses. We previously established long-term expanding human lung epithelial organoids from lung tissues and developed a 'proximal' differentiation protocol to generate mucociliary airway organoids. However, a respiratory organoid system with bipotential of the airway and alveolar differentiation remains elusive. Here we defined a 'distal' differentiation approach to generate alveolar organoids from the same source for the derivation of airway organoids. The alveolar organoids consisting of type I and type II alveolar epithelial cells (AT1 and AT2, respectively) functionally simulate the alveolar epithelium. AT2 cells maintained in lung organoid

SUBMITTER: Chiu MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9203776 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature