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A human organoid model of alveolar regeneration reveals distinct epithelial responses to interferon-gamma

ABSTRACT: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation and emphysema, leading to progressive alveolar destruction. Currently, no therapies effectively regenerate the alveolar epithelium. Here, we developed and characterized a feeder- and serum-free primary adult human organoid model to investigate how inflammatory conditions influence alveolar regeneration. Using Wnt activation and heregulin-β, we achieved long-term expansion of progenitor cells, while AT2 maturation protocols enhanced surfactant production, including the formation of tubular myelin. Introducing a LATS inhibitor to the expansion conditions induced an AT1 differentiation program without eliminating AT2 cells. Single-cell RNA-sequencing revealed multipotent progenitor-like populations, reflecting a state of heightened plasticity associated with regeneration. To model the effects of inflammation, we exposed these organoids to cytokines elevated in COPD. Notably, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) exerted distinct effects on AT1 and AT2 cells: while it was cytotoxic to AT1 cells, it promoted growth in regenerating AT2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These findings underscore the nuanced influence of pro-inflammatory cytokines on alveolar regeneration. Our organoid model provides a reductionist platform for mechanistic studies in human cells, aiming to identify therapies that prevent alveolar destruction and improve alveolar regeneration in COPD

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE287209 | GEO | 2026/03/09

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Alveoli are thin-walled sacs that serve as the gas exchange units of the lung. They are affected in devastating lung diseases including COPD, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, and the major form (adenocarcinoma) of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths. The alveolar epithelium is composed of two morphologically distinct cell types: alveolar type (AT) 1 cells, exquisitely thin cells across which oxygen diffuses to reach the blood, and AT2 cells, specialized surfactant-secreting cells. Classical studies suggested that AT1 cells arise from AT2 cells during development and following injury, but more recent studies suggest other sources. Here we use histological and marker analysis, lineage tracing, and clonal analysis in mice to identify alveolar progenitor and stem cells and map their locations and potential in vivo. The results show that AT1 and AT2 cells arise independently during development from a bipotential progenitor. After birth, new AT1 cells derive from rare, long-lived, self-renewing AT2 cells, each producing a slowly expanding clonal focus of regenerated alveoli contiguous with the founder AT2 cell. This stem cell function of AT2 cells is broadly activated by diffuse AT1 cell injury, and AT2 self-renewal can be induced in vitro by EGF ligands and permanently activated in vivo by AT2 cell-specific targeting of the oncogenic KrasG12D allele, efficiently transforming AT2 cells into monoclonal adenomatous tumors that rapidly enlarge and prove fatal. Thus, there is a developmental switch in alveolar progenitor cells after birth, when mature AT2 cells function as facultative stem cells that contribute to local alveolar renewal, repair, and cancer. We propose that short-range signals from dying AT1 cells regulate AT2 stem cell activity: a signal transduced by EGFR-KRAS controls AT2 self-renewal and is hijacked during oncogenic transformation, and a separate signal controls reprogramming to AT1 cell fate. To compare expression between ATII and E18 BP populations, RNA was isolated from either population purified by FACS. Two populations are analyzed with 3 biological replicates per population.

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A human organoid model of alveolar regeneration reveals distinct epithelial responses to interferon-gamma

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