Intestinal epithelial cells form tubular structures to efficiently digest luminal contents and absorb water, electrolytes and nutrients. In homeostatic condition, intestinal epithelium shows uniform pattern of tubular structures. During oncogenesis, the intestinal epithelium dynamically transforms into abnormal tubular structures. The genetic mutations are presumed to lead the morphological change of gland structures but the underlying mechanism remains unclear.

We developed a novel intestinal epithelial cell culture system for mouse and human. In the culture system, intestinal epithelial cells form stereotypic organoid structure mimicking intestinal tubular structures. We adopted the culture system for colon cancer cells which show distinctively different morphology from normal intestinal organoids. Using these techniques, we research the mechanism by which genetic mutations lead abnormal tubular structures.

Our study will reveal how genetic mutations affect tubular structures. The understanding of the diseased tubular formation may lead to further understanding of tubular formation mechanism.