Although stem-cell derived organoids are useful tools for studying epithelial functions in health and disease, they generally lack the immune compartment critical for modeling organ-level processes. In a paper published in Nature, Recaldin et al. now integrate tissue-resident memory T (T_RM) cells into human intestinal organoids and show how this model can be used to gain insight into drug-induced intestinal inflammation.

The authors combined T_RM cells from human intestinal samples with organoids generated from the same donor. They observed a subpopulation of T_RM cells that infiltrated the organoids and integrated within the epithelial barrier, mimicking the behavior of intraepithelial lymphocytes in the guts of healthy humans. T_RM cell migration and epithelial integration was associated with transcriptomic programs that regulate cell adhesion and motility.

尽管干细胞衍生的类器官是研究健康和疾病中上皮功能的有用工具，但它们通常缺乏对器官水平过程建模至关重要的免疫区室。 Recaldin 等人在《自然》杂志上发表了一篇论文。现在，将组织驻留记忆 T ( _TRM ) 细胞整合到人类肠道类器官中，并展示如何使用该模型来深入了解药物引起的肠道炎症。

作者将来自人类肠道样本的_TRM细胞与来自同一供体的类器官结合起来。他们观察到_TRM细胞亚群渗透到类器官中并整合到上皮屏障内，模仿健康人肠道中上皮内淋巴细胞的行为。 T _RM细胞迁移和上皮整合与调节细胞粘附和运动的转录组程序相关。