In vitro expansion of human gastric epithelial stem cells and their primary response to bacterial infection

We previously established long-term 3D organoid culture systems for several murine tissues (intestine, stomach, pancreas and liver) as well as human intestine and pancreas. Here, we describe culture conditions to generate long-term 3D culture from human gastric stem cells. The technology can be applied to study the epithelial response to infection with Helicobacter pylori. Human gastric cultures can expand indefinitely in 3D Matrigel. Cultures can be generated from normal tissue, from single sorted stem cells, or from tumor tissue. Organoids maintain many characteristics of the respective tissue in terms of histology, marker expression and euploidy. Organoids from normal tissue express markers of four lineages of the stomach and self-organize in gland and pit-domains. They can be directed to specifically express either lineages of the gastric gland, or the gastric pit by addition of Nicotinamide and withdrawal of Wnt. While gastric pit lineages react marginally to bacterial infection, gastric gland lineages mount a strong inflammatory response. The gastric culture system provides a unique tool to study gastric pathologies.