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Generation of functional thymic organoids from human pluripotent stem cells
Stem Cell Reports. 2023 Mar 14;S2213-6711(23)00060-7. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.02.013.
Stephan A Ramos 1, Lucas H Armitage 1, John J Morton 2, Nathaniel Alzofon 2, Diana Handler 3, Geoffrey Kelly 3, Dirk Homann 4, Antonio Jimeno 5, Holger A Russ 6
Abstract:
...Generation of a functional human thymus from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is an attractive regenerative strategy. Direct differentiation of thymic epithelial progenitors (TEPs) from hPSCs has been demonstrated in vitro, but functional thymic epithelial cells (TECs) only form months after transplantation of TEPs in vivo. We show the generation of TECs in vitro in isogenic stem cell-derived thymic organoids (sTOs) consisting of TEPs, hematopoietic progenitor cells, and mesenchymal cells, differentiated from the same hPSC line. sTOs support T cell development, express key markers of negative selection, including the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein, and facilitate regulatory T cell development. sTOs provide the basis for functional patient-specific thymic organoid models, allowing for the study of human thymus function, T cell development, and transplant immunity.
PMID: 36963390
Tags: organoids, stem cells, thymus