Fig 1: Human luminal or basal progenitor-derived organoids maintained their growth and distinct characteristics.a Brightfield images of human PG, SMG, and SLG organoids cultured for at least 1 month in the GEM. Scale bars indicate 500 µm. b Organoids with solid or cystic morphology were counted and statistically analyzed (n = 4 biologically independent samples). c Single-cell suspensions were prepared from the three major human salivary gland tissues, and then assessed for the expression of CD49f and CD26 markers in epithelial cells via flow cytometry. d The percentage of CD49f+ CD26-, CD49f+ CD26+, and CD49f- CD26– populations were measured via flow cytometry and statistically analyzed (n = 4 biologically independent samples). The box and whisker plots indicate mean, SEM, and 5th and 95th percentiles. e, f CD49f+ CD26-, CD49f+ CD26+, and CD49f- CD26– cells from human SMG were isolated and cultured in the GEM for 3 weeks. Brightfield images were obtained for the assessment of organoid growth (e) and the evaluation of organoid formation efficiency (f). Scale bars indicate 200 µm (n = 5 biologically independent samples). g Organoids from CD49f+ CD26- and CD49f+ CD26+ cells were maintained in the GEM for 3 weeks and subjected to H&E staining or IF staining for CD49f (green)/CD26 (red), duct (KRT5; green, KRT7; red), acinar (AQP5; green, MIST1; red), and myoepithelial (ACTA2; green, KRT14; red) markers. Nuclei were stained with Hoechst 33342 (blue). Scale bars indicate 50 µm. Data are representative of at least three independent experiments and presented as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001, n.d, not detected. Source data are provided as a source data file.