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Updated: Jun 13, 2025

3D Organotypic Co-culture Model Supporting Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cell Proliferation, Differentiation and Promiscuous Gene Expression
Published on: July 30, 2015
Protocol for the generation and differentiation of thymic epithelial organoids from adult mouse thymus tissue
Sam Willemsen1, Ni Luh Wisma Eka Yanti1, Johan H van Es1
1Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, 3521 AL Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
Here, we present a protocol for generating long-term expandable thymic epithelial cell (TEC) organoids from adult mouse thymus. We describe the steps for tissue isolation, dissociation, 3D culture matrix embedding, organoid maintenance, and passaging. We then detail procedures for TEC differentiation into cortical and medullary TEC lineages using defined growth factors, and techniques for analyzing organoids, including flow cytometry and qPCR. This protocol provides a valuable tool for studying TEC development and function. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lim et al.1.

