Figure 4.

Androgen Promotes Organoid Expansion through Activation of AR in the Stromal Cells

(A) AR immunostaining on small intestine epithelium isolated from wild-type mice. Left, original magnification ×10. Scale bar, 100 μm. Middle, original magnification ×20. Scale bar, 50 μm. Right, original magnification ×40. Scale bar, 20 μm.

(B) mRNA levels determined by quantitative real-time PCR in intestinal epithelium.

(C) Wild-type organoids in complete medium, organoids plus DHT (1 × 10⁻⁷mol/L), and organoids cocultured with stromal cells plus DHT (1 × 10⁻⁷mol/L) and flutamide (Flu; 2 μM). Comparison of cocultured cell size about day 1 and day 7 is shown. All the pictures of cultured crypts were ×10 original magnification (scale bar, 100 μm); black arrows, crypt spheroid.

(D) Survival rate graph obtained by counting the number of crypts on day 7 (left). Statistics on the size of the 7 days cocultured (crypt + stromal cells) and cocultured plus DHT (middle); crypt and crypt plus DHT (right)

Data, indicated as mean ± SD, correspond to three independent experiments. ^∗∗∗p < 0.001.