1. A novel human fetal lung-derived alveolar organoid model reveals mechanisms of surfactant protein C maturation relevant to interstitial lung disease.
- Author
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Lim, Kyungtae, Rutherford, Eimear N, Delpiano, Livia, He, Peng, Lin, Weimin, Sun, Dawei, Van den Boomen, Dick J H, Edgar, James R, Bang, Jae Hak, Predeus, Alexander, Teichmann, Sarah A, Marioni, John C, Matesic, Lydia E, Lee, Joo-Hyeon, Lehner, Paul J, Marciniak, Stefan J, Rawlins, Emma L, and Dickens, Jennifer A
- Subjects
PROTEIN C ,INTERSTITIAL lung diseases ,UBIQUITIN ligases ,PULMONARY fibrosis ,MEDICAL sciences - Abstract
Alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells maintain lung health by acting as stem cells and producing pulmonary surfactant. AT2 dysfunction underlies many lung diseases, including interstitial lung disease (ILD), in which some inherited forms result from the mislocalization of surfactant protein C (SFTPC) variants. Lung disease modeling and dissection of the underlying mechanisms remain challenging due to complexities in deriving and maintaining human AT2 cells ex vivo. Here, we describe the development of mature, expandable AT2 organoids derived from human fetal lungs which are phenotypically stable, can differentiate into AT1-like cells, and are genetically manipulable. We use these organoids to test key effectors of SFTPC maturation identified in a forward genetic screen including the E3 ligase ITCH, demonstrating that their depletion phenocopies the pathological SFTPC redistribution seen for the SFTPC-I73T variant. In summary, we demonstrate the development of a novel alveolar organoid model and use it to identify effectors of SFTPC maturation necessary for AT2 health. Synopsis: Disorders of surfactant protein biology cause dysfunction of alveolar type 2 cells and can lead to interstitial lung disease. This study describes the development of genetically manipulable, mature human fetal-derived alveolar type 2 cell organoids that facilitate the in vitro investigation of human disease genes. Cryopreservable alveolar type 2 cell organoids, which can self-renew and differentiate to alveolar type 1 cells, can be derived from human fetal lungs. Fetal lung-derived alveolar type 2 (fdAT2) organoids traffic and secrete surfactant appropriately and have similar gene expression profiles to adult alveolar type 2 cells. Knock-down of the E3 ligase ITCH in fdAT2 organoids phenocopies a pathological surfactant protein C trafficking defect seen in a subset of individuals with familial pulmonary fibrosis. A forward genetic screen and the development of genetically manipulable fetal lung-derived alveolar type 2 cells identify the E3 ligase ITCH as a regulator of surfactant protein C trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2025
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