Intestinal organoids grown from adult stem cells have emerged as prototype 3D organotypic models for studying tissue renewal and homeostasis. Owing to their strict dependence on Wnt signaling, intestinal organoids offer an unprecedented opportunity to examine Wnt pathway regulation in normal physiology and cancer. We review how alterations in growth factor dependency and organoid morphology can be exploited to identify Wnt signaling mechanisms, characterize mutated pathway components, and predict responses of patient-derived tumors to targeted therapy. We discuss current deficits in the understanding of genotype-phenotype relationships that are to be considered when interpreting mutation-induced changes in organoid morphology.

中文翻译：

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Wnt信号在3D中的应用：肠类器官应用的最新进展。

从成年干细胞生长而来的肠道类器官已作为研究组织更新和体内平衡的原型3D有机型模型出现。由于它们对Wnt信号的严格依赖性，肠类器官提供了前所未有的机会来检查正常生理和癌症中的Wnt途径调控。我们审查了如何利用生长因子依赖性和类器官形态的改变来鉴定Wnt信号传导机制，表征突变的通路成分并预测患者源性肿瘤对靶向治疗的反应。我们在解释基因型与表型关系的理解中讨论当前的不足，在解释突变诱导的类器官形态变化时要考虑这些缺陷。