Geometrically constrained growth factor concentration favors enrichment of goblet cells and mucus formation

The colonic mucus composed of replenished gel-forming mucin secreted from
goblet cells is of great importance for overall human health, and its
better understanding could lead to the development of new drug targets in
colon diseases and mucus defect therapies. In this dataset, we show the
effect of the constrained geometry for WRN diffusion, on goblet cell
differentiation and mucus formation. This advanced engineering approach
focused on long-term culture to form a mucus layer barrier. The platform
is an insert format with rehydrated collagen overlaying an impermeable
film patterned with a geometrical array of micron-scale holes. This system
enables a constrained geometry to preserve stem cell niches. The
microniches possess enriched goblet cell generation and a thick, adhered
mucus layer. Immunofluorescence-based assays were performed to
quantitatively assess cell density, proliferation, migration,
differentiation, mucus thickness, and the impact of bacteria and toxins on
mucus-covered epithelial cells. The geometrical engineering approach to
generate goblet cells and mucus protective barrier represents a
significant innovation in developing microphysiological systems for
emulating the gut epithelium for assaying self-renewal stem cells, goblet
cell differentiation, mucus dynamics, and microbiota-mucus-host
interactions.