General Information
- Project ID
- OEP001019
- Project Name
- Fibroblast relays Wnt signals from endothelial niche to mammary epithelium
- Description
- Endothelial and fibroblast niches are crucial for organogenesis and homeostasis of epithelial organs. How these heterotypic cells interact is of great interest. In this study, we revealed a new signaling communication from endothelial cells (ECs) to fibroblasts, subsequently affecting the epithelium. Through a new fluorescent Wnt-reporter Axin2-mGFP mouse generated in this study, we observed robust Wnt/β-catenin signaling activities in the fibroblasts surrounding the mammary epithelium. In parallel, we established a new mammary organoid system via coculture of ECs, fibroblasts and epithelial cells, facilitating the cell type-specific gene manipulation in vitro. Organoids generated in this manner effectively recapitulated branching morphogenesis, with more apparent branches than the organoids developed by solely epithelial cells. In such heterotypic cells-derived organoid culture, we found that deletion of β-catenin in fibroblast impedes epithelium branching, and that EC-origin Wnts are responsible for Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation in fibroblasts. In vivo, EC-specific deletion of Wntless inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity in fibroblasts, rendering the reduction of epithelial branches. Here, we discovered a new axis of signaling communication, in which fibroblast relays Wnt signals from endothelial niche to organize epithelial patterning. These findings highlight the significance of endothelial niche in tissue patterning, shedding light into the mechanisms in which distinct niche components orchestrate during epithelial organogenesis and tissue homeostasis.
Project information
- Experiments
- 1
Experiment ID Experiment name Experiment type Create Date OEX003831 Cultured mammary gland fibroblasts with Wnt3a Transcriptomic 2020-06-15 - Samples
- 1
Sample ID Sample Name Sample Subject Type Organism Tissue Create Date OES032063 OES_Jingqiang_2006152044 Animalia Mammalia Mammary gland 2020-06-15 - Runs
-
1
Run ID Run Name Experiment Sample Data Num Create Date OER090084 OER_Jingqiang_2011271209 OEX003831 OES032063 6 2020-11-27
Author Information
- Create Date
- 2020-06-15
- Last Modified
- 2022-06-01
- Submission
- Jingqiang Wang
- SIBCB