Abstract
Caco-2 cells are traditionally used to construct in vitro models of the intestinal barrier. One characteristic of the mature intestine is the presence of villi—connective tissue outgrowths covered with epithelial cells. It was recently shown that Caco-2 cells form structures resembling intestinal villi during prolonged cultivation. In this work, we showed via transcriptome analysis that the BMP and PDGF signaling cascades involved in the formation of villi in vivo are significantly altered during the differentiation of Caco-2 cells and, therefore, can participate in the formation of similar structures in vitro. In particular, we found a significant decrease in the expression of the BMP4, BMP7, and BMP8A genes in differentiated cells as compared to undifferentiated cells. We also first discovered periodic fluctuations in transepithelial resistance upon the differentiation of Caco-2 cells. The period of observed fluctuations indicates that they can occur as a result of cell proliferation during villus formation.
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