- Miao, Yi;
- Ha, Andrew;
- de Lau, Wim;
- Yuki, Kanako;
- Santos, António JM;
- You, Changjiang;
- Geurts, Maarten H;
- Puschhof, Jens;
- Pleguezuelos-Manzano, Cayetano;
- Peng, Weng Chuan;
- Senlice, Ramazan;
- Piani, Carol;
- Buikema, Jan W;
- Gbenedio, Oghenekevwe M;
- Vallon, Mario;
- Yuan, Jenny;
- de Haan, Sanne;
- Hemrika, Wieger;
- Rösch, Kathrin;
- Dang, Luke T;
- Baker, David;
- Ott, Melanie;
- Depeille, Philippe;
- Wu, Sean M;
- Drost, Jarno;
- Nusse, Roeland;
- Roose, Jeroen P;
- Piehler, Jacob;
- Boj, Sylvia F;
- Janda, Claudia Y;
- Clevers, Hans;
- Kuo, Calvin J;
- Garcia, K Christopher
Modulation of Wnt signaling has untapped potential in regenerative medicine due to its essential functions in stem cell homeostasis. However, Wnt lipidation and Wnt-Frizzled (Fzd) cross-reactivity have hindered translational Wnt applications. Here, we designed and engineered water-soluble, Fzd subtype-specific "next-generation surrogate" (NGS) Wnts that hetero-dimerize Fzd and Lrp6. NGS Wnt supports long-term expansion of multiple different types of organoids, including kidney, colon, hepatocyte, ovarian, and breast. NGS Wnts are superior to Wnt3a conditioned media in organoid expansion and single-cell organoid outgrowth. Administration of Fzd subtype-specific NGS Wnt in vivo reveals that adult intestinal crypt proliferation can be promoted by agonism of Fzd5 and/or Fzd8 receptors, while a broad spectrum of Fzd receptors can induce liver zonation. Thus, NGS Wnts offer a unified organoid expansion protocol and a laboratory "tool kit" for dissecting the functions of Fzd subtypes in stem cell biology.