Project description:It is increasingly appreciated that properties of cultured epithelial cells differ dramatically in 2D compared to 3D, and the latter more faithfully recapitulates in vivo behavior. By studying a battery of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines in type-1 collagen, we have found that HCA-7 cells form colonies with two distinctive and persistent morphological and functional properties. We observed predominantly single-layered polarized cysts (cystic colonies, CC) and a smaller fraction displaying disorganized solid masses (spiky colonies, SC) that were highly invasive in vivo. Despite overall genomic similarity, CC and SC exhibited distinct and dynamic patterns of gene expression in 3D.
Project description:It is increasingly appreciated that properties of cultured epithelial cells differ dramatically in 2D compared to 3D, and the latter more faithfully recapitulates in vivo behavior. By studying a battery of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines in type-1 collagen, we have found that HCA-7 cells form colonies with two distinctive and persistent morphological and functional properties. We observed predominantly single-layered polarized cysts (cystic colonies, CC) and a smaller fraction displaying disorganized solid masses (spiky colonies, SC) that were highly invasive in vivo. Despite overall genomic similarity, CC and SC exhibited distinct and dynamic patterns of gene expression in 3D.
Project description:In vitro models that mimic ovaries are instrumental in unraveling physio-pathological mechanisms underlining follicle activation and growth. Three-dimensional (3D) systems that replicate the heterogeneity and cell-cell communication among different ovarian cell types are biologically most relevant. However, such models using human primary ovarian cells have not yet been established and standardized. Here, we developed and characterized long-term cultured 3D models of primary ovarian somatic cells, isolated from normal adult tissues, using Biosilk as a scaffold. We successfully created both cortex- and medulla-derived 3D systems (Silk-Ovarioids). Through transcriptomics, proteomics, and immunostaining, we identified the presence of key ovarian somatic cell types (granulosa, stroma, endothelial and perivascular cells). Notably, the Silk-Ovarioids exhibit the formation of a proangiogenic hypoxic core, as evidenced by the formation of vessel-like structures after 6 weeks of culture. The Silk-Ovarioids have low inter/intra-batch variability and long-term culture stability, highlighting their potential as a robust step towards a bioengineered patient-specific artificial ovary.
Project description:Our study developed a novel 3D co-culture system to mimic the in vivo ECM dynamics. Using this system, we examined the interaction between primary dermal papilla cells isolated from patients with neonatal keratinocytes.
Project description:We previously reported that single cells from a human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line (HCA-7) formed either hollow single-layered polarized cysts or solid spiky masses when plated in 3D in type-I collagen. To begin in-depth analyses into whether clonal cysts and spiky masses possessed divergent properties, individual colonies of each morphology were isolated and expanded. The lines thus derived faithfully retained their parental cystic and spiky morphologies and were termed CC (cystic) and SC (spiky), respectively. Although both CC and SC expressed EGF receptor (EGFR), the EGFR-neutralizing monoclonal antibody, cetuximab, strongly inhibited growth of CC, whereas SC was resistant to growth inhibition, and this was coupled to increased tyrosine phosphorylation of MET and RON. Addition of the dual MET/RON tyrosine kinase inhibitor, crizotinib, restored cetuximab sensitivity in SC. To further characterize these two lines, we performed comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analysis of CC and SC in 3D. One of the most up-regulated genes in CC was the tumor suppressor 15-PGDH/HPGD, and the most up-regulated gene in SC was versican (VCAN) in 3D and xenografts. Analysis of a CRC tissue microarray showed that epithelial, but not stromal, VCAN staining strongly correlated with reduced survival, and combined epithelial VCAN and absent HPGD staining portended a poorer prognosis. Thus, with this 3D system, we have identified a mode of cetuximab resistance and a potential prognostic marker in CRC. As such, this represents a potentially powerful system to identify additional therapeutic strategies and disease-relevant genes in CRC and possibly other solid tumors.
Project description:We identified a subpopulation of macrophages that are specifically enriched in interstitial lung disease. To better understand the functional relevance of this population with regards to disease pathogenesis by manipulating them in vitro, we attempted to induce this state in cell culture by prepurposing a published 3D hydrogel culture system originally designed to generate hematopoietic progenitor cells from PBMCs.