Organoid culture of mouse fallopian tube epithelial stem cells with a thermo-reversible gelation polymer.

In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) thermo-reversible gelation polymer (TGP) culture system was established for organoid culture of mouse fallopian tube (FT) epithelial stem cells (FTESCs) without cell isolation. FT tissues from 6- to 8-week-old ICR mice were digested with collagenase, and whole FT cells (FTCs) were inoculated into the TGP. After 6 days of culture, many spheres in the TGP formed. Some cells in the spheres were positive for 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), a marker of cell proliferation. Furthermore, all the spheres that formed in the TGP were also labelled for EpCAM and LGR5. Some cells in the spheres were stained for PAX8, a secretory cell marker, and fewer cells were labelled with TUBB4, a ciliated cell marker. These results indicate that the 3D TGP culture system is a useful tool for organoid culture of FTESCs in vitro.