Rapid tissue prototyping with micro-organospheres.

In vitro tissue models hold great promise for modeling diseases and drug responses. Here, we used emulsion microfluidics to form micro-organospheres (MOSs), which are droplet-encapsulated miniature three-dimensional (3D) tissue models that can be established rapidly from patient tissues or cells. MOSs retain key biological features and responses to chemo-, targeted, and radiation therapies compared with organoids.

ROCK-nmMyoII, Notch and gene-dosage link epithelial morphogenesis with cell fate in the pancreatic endocrine-progenitor niche.

During mouse pancreas organogenesis, endocrine cells are born from progenitors residing in an epithelial plexus niche. After a period in a lineage-primed state, progenitors become endocrine committed via upregulation of We find that the to transition is associated with distinct stages of an epithelial egression process: narrowing the apical surface of the cell, basalward cell movement and eventual cell-rear detachment from the apical lumen surface to allow clustering as nascent islets under the basement membrane. Apical narrowing, basalward movement and transcriptional upregulation still occur without Neurog3 protein, suggesting that morphogenetic cues deployed within the plexus initiate endocrine commitment upstream or independently of Neurog3.

Reserve Stem Cells in Intestinal Homeostasis and Injury.

Renewal of the intestinal epithelium occurs approximately every week and requires a careful balance between cell proliferation and differentiation to maintain proper lineage ratios and support absorptive, secretory, and barrier functions. We review models used to study the mechanisms by which intestinal stem cells (ISCs) fuel the rapid turnover of the epithelium during homeostasis and might support epithelial regeneration after injury. In anatomically defined zones of the crypt stem cell niche, phenotypically distinct active and reserve ISC populations are believed to support homeostatic epithelial renewal and injury-induced regeneration, respectively.

Erratum: EGFR signalling controls cellular fate and pancreatic organogenesis by regulating apicobasal polarity.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/ncb3628.

EGFR signalling controls cellular fate and pancreatic organogenesis by regulating apicobasal polarity.

Apicobasal polarity is known to affect epithelial morphogenesis and cell differentiation, but it remains unknown how these processes are mechanistically orchestrated. We find that ligand-specific EGFR signalling via PI(3)K and Rac1 autonomously modulates apicobasal polarity to enforce the sequential control of morphogenesis and cell differentiation. Initially, EGF controls pancreatic tubulogenesis by negatively regulating apical polarity induction.

FUCCI tracking shows cell-cycle-dependent Neurog3 variation in pancreatic progenitors.

During pancreas organogenesis, Neurog3 endocrine-committing cells are generated from a population of Sox9 mitotic progenitors with only a low level of Neurog3 transcriptional activity (Neurog3 ). Low-level Neurog3 protein, in Neurog3 cells, is required to maintain their mitotic endocrine-lineage-primed status. Herein, we describe a Neurog3-driven FUCCI cell-cycle reporter (Neurog3 ) derived from a Neurog3 BAC transgenic reporter that functions as a loxed cassette acceptor (LCA).

Feedback control of growth, differentiation, and morphogenesis of pancreatic endocrine progenitors in an epithelial plexus niche.

In the mammalian pancreas, endocrine cells undergo lineage allocation upon emergence from a bipotent duct/endocrine progenitor pool, which resides in the "trunk epithelium." Major questions remain regarding how niche environments are organized within this epithelium to coordinate endocrine differentiation with programs of epithelial growth, maturation, and morphogenesis. We used EdU pulse-chase and tissue-reconstruction approaches to analyze how endocrine progenitors and their differentiating progeny are assembled within the trunk as it undergoes remodeling from an irregular plexus of tubules to form the eventual mature, branched ductal arbor.

Non-parallel recombination limits Cre-LoxP-based reporters as precise indicators of conditional genetic manipulation.

Cre/LoxP-mediated recombination allows for conditional gene activation or inactivation. When combined with an independent lineage-tracing reporter allele, this technique traces the lineage of presumptive genetically modified Cre-expressing cells. Several studies have suggested that floxed alleles have differential sensitivities to Cre-mediated recombination, which raises concerns regarding utilization of Cre-reporters to monitor recombination of other floxed loci of interest.

Spatiotemporal patterns of multipotentiality in Ptf1a-expressing cells during pancreas organogenesis and injury-induced facultative restoration.

Pancreatic multipotent progenitor cells (MPCs) produce acinar, endocrine and duct cells during organogenesis, but their existence and location in the mature organ remain contentious. We used inducible lineage-tracing from the MPC-instructive gene Ptf1a to define systematically in mice the switch of Ptf1a(+) MPCs to unipotent proacinar competence during the secondary transition, their rapid decline during organogenesis, and absence from the mature organ. Between E11.

Lineage determinants in early endocrine development.

Pancreatic endocrine cells are produced from a dynamic epithelium in a process that, as in any developing organ, is driven by interacting programs of spatiotemporally regulated intercellular signals and autonomous gene regulatory networks. These algorithms work to push progenitors and their transitional intermediates through a series of railroad-station-like switching decisions to regulate flux along specific differentiation tracks. Extensive research on pancreas organogenesis over the last 20 years, greatly spurred by the potential to restore functional β-cell mass in diabetic patients by transplantation therapy, is advancing our knowledge of how endocrine lineage bias is established and allocation is promoted.

Dietary calcium supplementation enhances efficacy but also toxicity of EGFR inhibitor therapy for colon cancer.

The inverse correlation between levels of dietary calcium and colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence has been extensively investigated. However, the impact of supplemental calcium on cancer therapy remains unknown. We used four models of CRC, Caco-2 and HCT116 human cancer cell lines and Apc (Min/+) and azoxymethane carcinogen-induced mouse models, to investigate the impact of a western-style diet low in calcium (0.

Dual targets for mouse mast cell protease-4 in mediating tissue damage in experimental bullous pemphigoid.

Mouse mast cell protease-4 (mMCP-4) has been linked to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, although the exact mechanisms underlying its role in these pathological conditions remain unclear. Here, we have found that mMCP-4 is critical in a mouse model of the autoimmune skin blistering disease bullous pemphigoid (BP). Mice lacking mMCP-4 were resistant to experimental BP.