Direct Lineage Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts to Acquire the Identity of Fetal Intestine-Derived Progenitor Cells

• Published in: Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) Vol. 2171; p. 231
• Main Authors: Miura, Shizuka, Suzuki, Atsushi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 2020
• Subjects: Animals; Cellular Reprogramming - genetics; Cellular Reprogramming - physiology; Fetal Stem Cells - cytology; Fetal Stem Cells - metabolism; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - metabolism; Intestinal Mucosa - cytology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Organoids - cytology; Organoids - metabolism; Stem Cells - cytology; Stem Cells - metabolism; Infection; Direct reprogramming; Induced intestinal stem cell (iISC); Self-renewal; Mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF ); Induced fetal intestine-derived progenitor cell (iFIPC); Intestinal organoid; Differentiation
• ISSN: 1940-6029
• DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0747-3_14

Intestinal organoids are useful models for studying the characteristics of intestinal diseases and their treatment. However, a major limiting factor in their usability is the need for donor tissue fragments or pluripotent stem cells to generate the organoids. Here, we describe an approach to generate intestinal organoids from fibroblasts, a new source. We used direct reprogramming technology to generate cells with the properties of fetal intestine-derived progenitor cells (FIPCs) from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). These induced FIPCs (iFIPCs) can give rise to cells resembling intestinal stem cells (ISCs), henceforth referred to as induced ISCs (iISCs). These iFIPCs and iISCs form spherical and budding organoids, respectively, similar to FIPCs and ISCs. These induced intestinal organoids could be used for studies on intestinal diseases and regenerative therapy.