Dissecting the stem cell niche with organoid models: an engineering-based approach
Abstract
For many tissues, single resident stem cells grown in vitro under appropriate three-dimensional conditions can produce outgrowths known as organoids. These tissues recapitulate much of the cell composition and architecture of the in vivo organ from which they derive, including the formation of a stem cell niche. This has facilitated the systematic experimental manipulation and single-cell, high-throughput imaging of stem cells within their respective niches. Furthermore, emerging technologies now make it possible to engineer organoids from purified cellular and extracellular components to directly model and test stem cell-niche interactions. In this Review, we discuss how organoids have been used to identify and characterize stem cell-niche interactions and uncover new niche components, focusing on three adult-derived organoid systems. We also describe new approaches to reconstitute organoids from purified cellular components, and discuss how this technology can help to address fundamental questions about the adult stem cell niche.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Mar 15, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1242/dev.140905
Entities
People
- Lyndsay M. Murrow
- Robert J. Weber
- Zev J Gartner
Organizations
- Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- University of California, San Francisco