Fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt model

Colonic epithelium is situated above a layer of fibroblasts that provide supportive factors for stem cells at the crypt base and promote differentiation of cells in the upper crypt and luminal surface. To study the fibroblast-epithelial cell interactions, an in vitro crypt model was formed on a shap...

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Main Authors: Angelo Massaro, Cecilia Villegas Novoa, Yuli Wang, Nancy L. Allbritton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2024.1506976/full
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author Angelo Massaro
Cecilia Villegas Novoa
Yuli Wang
Nancy L. Allbritton
author_facet Angelo Massaro
Cecilia Villegas Novoa
Yuli Wang
Nancy L. Allbritton
author_sort Angelo Massaro
collection DOAJ
description Colonic epithelium is situated above a layer of fibroblasts that provide supportive factors for stem cells at the crypt base and promote differentiation of cells in the upper crypt and luminal surface. To study the fibroblast-epithelial cell interactions, an in vitro crypt model was formed on a shaped collagen scaffold with primary epithelial cells growing above a layer of primary colonic fibroblasts. The crypts possessed a basal stem cell niche populated with proliferative cells and a differentiated, nondividing cell zone at the luminal crypt end. The presence of fibroblasts enhanced cell differentiation and accelerated the rate at which a high resistance epithelial cell layer formed relative to cultures without fibroblasts. The fibroblasts modulated cell proliferation within crypts increasing the number of crypts populated with proliferative cells but decreasing the total number of proliferative cells in each crypt. Bulk-RNA sequencing revealed 41 genes that were significantly upregulated and 190 genes that were significantly downregulated in cocultured epithelium relative to epithelium cultured without fibroblasts. This epithelium-fibroblast crypt model suggests bidirectional communication between the two cell types and has the potential to serve as a model to investigate fibroblast-epithelial cell interactions in health and disease.
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publishDate 2024-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-4f8ec370c99d4b33a5b7da50efe582332025-08-20T02:36:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology2296-41852024-12-011210.3389/fbioe.2024.15069761506976Fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt modelAngelo MassaroCecilia Villegas NovoaYuli WangNancy L. AllbrittonColonic epithelium is situated above a layer of fibroblasts that provide supportive factors for stem cells at the crypt base and promote differentiation of cells in the upper crypt and luminal surface. To study the fibroblast-epithelial cell interactions, an in vitro crypt model was formed on a shaped collagen scaffold with primary epithelial cells growing above a layer of primary colonic fibroblasts. The crypts possessed a basal stem cell niche populated with proliferative cells and a differentiated, nondividing cell zone at the luminal crypt end. The presence of fibroblasts enhanced cell differentiation and accelerated the rate at which a high resistance epithelial cell layer formed relative to cultures without fibroblasts. The fibroblasts modulated cell proliferation within crypts increasing the number of crypts populated with proliferative cells but decreasing the total number of proliferative cells in each crypt. Bulk-RNA sequencing revealed 41 genes that were significantly upregulated and 190 genes that were significantly downregulated in cocultured epithelium relative to epithelium cultured without fibroblasts. This epithelium-fibroblast crypt model suggests bidirectional communication between the two cell types and has the potential to serve as a model to investigate fibroblast-epithelial cell interactions in health and disease.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2024.1506976/fullcolon cryptepithelial cellsmicrophysiological systemorgan-on-chiplarge intestinepericryptal fibroblasts
spellingShingle Angelo Massaro
Cecilia Villegas Novoa
Yuli Wang
Nancy L. Allbritton
Fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt model
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
colon crypt
epithelial cells
microphysiological system
organ-on-chip
large intestine
pericryptal fibroblasts
title Fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt model
title_full Fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt model
title_fullStr Fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt model
title_full_unstemmed Fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt model
title_short Fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt model
title_sort fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell behavior within the proliferative niche and differentiated cell zone within a human colonic crypt model
topic colon crypt
epithelial cells
microphysiological system
organ-on-chip
large intestine
pericryptal fibroblasts
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2024.1506976/full
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AT yuliwang fibroblastsmodulateepithelialcellbehaviorwithintheproliferativenicheanddifferentiatedcellzonewithinahumancoloniccryptmodel
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