Modeling Notch Activity and Lineage Decisions Using Intestinal Organoids.

Organoid cultures have been developed to model intestinal stem cell (ISC) function in self-renewal and differentiation. Upon differentiation, the first fate decision for ISC and early progenitors to make is between secretory (Paneth cell, goblet cell, enteroendocrine cell, or tuft cell) and absorptive (enterocyte and M cell) lineages. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, in vivo studies in the past decade have revealed that Notch signaling functions as a binary switch for the secretory vs.