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Updated: Oct 3, 2026

Establishment, Maintenance, Differentiation, Genetic Manipulation, and Transplantation of Mouse and Human Lacrimal Gland Organoids
Published on: February 3, 2023
Protocol for analyzing autophagy-related cellular phenotypes in autophagy-deficient human embryonic stem cell-derived
1Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Abstract:
Autophagy is a vital catabolic process that maintains cellular homeostasis and survival and supports gland tissue development and function. Here, we present a protocol to characterize the cellular phenotypes of autophagy-deficient (ATG5-/-) lacrimal gland (LG)-like organoids derived from human embryonic stem cells. We describe steps for organoid cryosectioning, followed by the quantitative assessment of cell death and aggresomes using fluorescence-based TUNEL and ProteoStat staining, respectively, along with pharmacological rescue. This approach enables robust evaluation of autophagy-related cellular dysfunction in human organoid models. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Kocak et al.1.
