Progenitor identification and SARS-CoV-2 infection in human distal lung organoids.

The distal lung contains terminal bronchioles and alveoli that facilitate gas exchange. Three-dimensional in vitro human distal lung culture systems would strongly facilitate the investigation of pathologies such as interstitial lung disease, cancer and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here we describe the development of a long-term feeder-free, chemically defined culture system for distal lung progenitors as organoids derived from single adult human alveolar epithelial type II (AT2) or KRT5+ basal cells. AT2 organoids were able to differentiate into AT1 cells, and basal cell organoids developed lumens lined with differentiated club and ciliated cells. Single-cell analysis of KRT5+ cells in basal organoids revealed a distinct population of ITGA6+ITGB4+ mitotic cells, whose offspring further segregated into a TNFRSF12Ahi subfraction that comprised about ten per cent of KRT5+ basal cells. This subpopulation formed clusters within terminal bronchioles and exhibited enriched clonogenic organoid growth activity. We created distal lung organoids with apical-out polarity to present ACE2 on the exposed external surface, facilitating infection of AT2 and basal cultures with SARS-CoV-2 and identifying club cells as a target population. This long-term, feeder-free culture of human distal lung organoids, coupled with single-cell analysis, identifies functional heterogeneity among basal cells and establishes a facile in vitro organoid model of human distal lung infections, including COVID-19-associated pneumonia.

Ictal onset sites and γ-aminobutyric acidergic neuron loss in epileptic pilocarpine-treated rats.

OBJECTIVE: The present study tested whether ictal onset sites are regions of more severe interneuron loss in epileptic pilocarpine-treated rats, a model of human temporal lobe epilepsy. METHODS: Local field potential recordings were evaluated to identify ictal onset sites. Electrode sites were visualized in Nissl-stained sections. Adjacent sections were processed with proximity ligation in situ hybridization for glutamic acid decarboxylase 2 (Gad2). Gad2 neuron profile numbers at ictal onset sites were compared to contralateral regions. Other sections were processed with immunocytochemistry for reelin or nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which labeled major subtypes of granule cell layer-associated interneurons. Stereology was used to estimate numbers of reelin and NOS granule cell layer-associated interneurons per hippocampus. RESULTS: Ictal onset sites varied between and within rats but were mostly in the ventral hippocampus and were frequently bilateral. There was no conclusive evidence of more severe Gad2 neuron profile loss at sites of earliest seizure activity compared to contralateral regions. Numbers of granule cell layer-associated NOS neurons were reduced in the ventral hippocampus. SIGNIFICANCE: In epileptic pilocarpine-treated rats, ictal onset sites were mostly in the ventral hippocampus, where there was loss of granule cell layer-associated NOS interneurons. These findings suggest the hypothesis that loss of granule cell layer-associated NOS interneurons in the ventral hippocampus is a mechanism of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Canonical Wnt signalling regulates epithelial patterning by modulating levels of laminins in zebrafish appendages.

The patterning and morphogenesis of body appendages - such as limbs and fins - is orchestrated by the activities of several developmental pathways. Wnt signalling is essential for the induction of limbs. However, it is unclear whether a canonical Wnt signalling gradient exists and regulates the patterning of epithelium in vertebrate appendages. Using an evolutionarily old appendage - the median fin in zebrafish - as a model, we show that the fin epithelium exhibits graded changes in cellular morphology along the proximo-distal axis. This epithelial pattern is strictly correlated with the gradient of canonical Wnt signalling activity. By combining genetic analyses with cellular imaging, we show that canonical Wnt signalling regulates epithelial cell morphology by modulating the levels of laminins, which are extracellular matrix components. We have unravelled a hitherto unknown mechanism involved in epithelial patterning, which is also conserved in the pectoral fins - evolutionarily recent appendages that are homologous to tetrapod limbs.

Advances in Proximity Ligation in situ Hybridization (PLISH).

Understanding tissues in the context of development, maintenance and disease requires determining the molecular profiles of individual cells within their native in vivo spatial context. We developed a Proximity Ligation in situ Hybridization technology (PLISH) that enables quantitative measurement of single cell gene expression in intact tissues, which we have now updated. By recording spatial information for every profiled cell, PLISH enables retrospective mapping of distinct cell classes and inference of their in vivo interactions. PLISH has high sensitivity, specificity and signal to noise ratio. It is also rapid, scalable, and does not require expertise in molecular biology so it can be easily adopted by basic and clinical researchers.

Progenitor identification and SARS-CoV-2 infection in long-term human distal lung organoid cultures.

The distal lung contains terminal bronchioles and alveoli that facilitate gas exchange and is affected by disorders including interstitial lung disease, cancer, and SARS-CoV-2-associated COVID-19 pneumonia. Investigations of these localized pathologies have been hindered by a lack of 3D in vitro human distal lung culture systems. Further, human distal lung stem cell identification has been impaired by quiescence, anatomic divergence from mouse and lack of lineage tracing and clonogenic culture. Here, we developed robust feeder-free, chemically-defined culture of distal human lung progenitors as organoids derived clonally from single adult human alveolar epithelial type II (AT2) or KRT5 + basal cells. AT2 organoids exhibited AT1 transdifferentiation potential, while basal cell organoids progressively developed lumens lined by differentiated club and ciliated cells. Organoids consisting solely of club cells were not observed. Upon single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), alveolar organoids were composed of proliferative AT2 cells; however, basal organoid KRT5 + cells contained a distinct ITGA6 + ITGB4 + mitotic population whose proliferation segregated to a TNFRSF12A hi subfraction. Clonogenic organoid growth was markedly enriched within the TNFRSF12A hi subset of FACS-purified ITGA6 + ITGB4 + basal cells from human lung or derivative organoids. In vivo, TNFRSF12A + cells comprised ~10% of KRT5 + basal cells and resided in clusters within terminal bronchioles. To model COVID-19 distal lung disease, we everted the polarity of basal and alveolar organoids to rapidly relocate differentiated club and ciliated cells from the organoid lumen to the exterior surface, thus displaying the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 on the outwardly-facing apical aspect. Accordingly, basal and AT2 apical-out organoids were infected by SARS-CoV-2, identifying club cells as a novel target population. This long-term, feeder-free organoid culture of human distal lung alveolar and basal stem cells, coupled with single cell analysis, identifies unsuspected basal cell functional heterogeneity and exemplifies progenitor identification within a slowly proliferating human tissue. Further, our studies establish a facile in vitro organoid model for human distal lung infectious diseases including COVID-19-associated pneumonia.

An atlas of the aging lung mapped by single cell transcriptomics and deep tissue proteomics.

Aging promotes lung function decline and susceptibility to chronic lung diseases, which are the third leading cause of death worldwide. Here, we use single cell transcriptomics and mass spectrometry-based proteomics to quantify changes in cellular activity states across 30 cell types and chart the lung proteome of young and old mice. We show that aging leads to increased transcriptional noise, indicating deregulated epigenetic control. We observe cell type-specific effects of aging, uncovering increased cholesterol biosynthesis in type-2 pneumocytes and lipofibroblasts and altered relative frequency of airway epithelial cells as hallmarks of lung aging. Proteomic profiling reveals extracellular matrix remodeling in old mice, including increased collagen IV and XVI and decreased Fraser syndrome complex proteins and collagen XIV. Computational integration of the aging proteome with the single cell transcriptomes predicts the cellular source of regulated proteins and creates an unbiased reference map of the aging lung.

Automated cell-type classification in intact tissues by single-cell molecular profiling.

A major challenge in biology is identifying distinct cell classes and mapping their interactions in vivo. Tissue-dissociative technologies enable deep single cell molecular profiling but do not provide spatial information. We developed a proximity ligation in situ hybridization technology (PLISH) with exceptional signal strength, specificity, and sensitivity in tissue. Multiplexed data sets can be acquired using barcoded probes and rapid label-image-erase cycles, with automated calculation of single cell profiles, enabling clustering and anatomical re-mapping of cells. We apply PLISH to expression profile ~2900 cells in intact mouse lung, which identifies and localizes known cell types, including rare ones. Unsupervised classification of the cells indicates differential expression of 'housekeeping' genes between cell types, and re-mapping of two sub-classes of Club cells highlights their segregated spatial domains in terminal airways. By enabling single cell profiling of various RNA species in situ, PLISH can impact many areas of basic and medical research.