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Kim M, So J, Shin D. PPARα activation promotes liver progenitor cell-mediated liver regeneration by suppressing YAP signaling in zebrafish. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18312. [PMID: 37880271 PMCID: PMC10600117 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44935-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the robust regenerative capacity of the liver, prolonged and severe liver damage impairs liver regeneration, leading to liver failure. Since the liver co-opts the differentiation of liver progenitor cells (LPCs) into hepatocytes to restore functional hepatocytes, augmenting LPC-mediated liver regeneration may be beneficial to patients with chronic liver diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying LPC-to-hepatocyte differentiation have remained largely unknown. Using the zebrafish model of LPC-mediated liver regeneration, Tg(fabp10a:pt-β-catenin), we present that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) activation augments LPC-to-hepatocyte differentiation. We found that treating Tg(fabp10a:pt-β-catenin) larvae with GW7647, a potent PPARα agonist, enhanced the expression of hepatocyte markers and simultaneously reduced the expression of biliary epithelial cell (BEC)/LPC markers in the regenerating livers, indicating enhanced LPC-to-hepatocyte differentiation. Mechanistically, PPARα activation augments the differentiation by suppressing YAP signaling. The differentiation phenotypes resulting from GW7647 treatment were rescued by expressing a constitutively active form of Yap1. Moreover, we found that suppression of YAP signaling was sufficient to promote LPC-to-hepatocyte differentiation. Treating Tg(fabp10a:pt-β-catenin) larvae with the TEAD inhibitor K-975, which suppresses YAP signaling, phenocopied the effect of GW7647 on LPC differentiation. Altogether, our findings provide insights into augmenting LPC-mediated liver regeneration as a regenerative therapy for chronic liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minwook Kim
- Department of Developmental Biology, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 5th Ave. #5063, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Juhoon So
- Department of Developmental Biology, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 5th Ave. #5063, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Donghun Shin
- Department of Developmental Biology, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 5th Ave. #5063, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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2
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Kim M, Rizvi F, Shin D, Gouon-Evans V. Update on Hepatobiliary Plasticity. Semin Liver Dis 2023; 43:13-23. [PMID: 36764306 PMCID: PMC10005859 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1760306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
The liver field has been debating for decades the contribution of the plasticity of the two epithelial compartments in the liver, hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells (BECs), to derive each other as a repair mechanism. The hepatobiliary plasticity has been first observed in diseased human livers by the presence of biphenotypic cells expressing hepatocyte and BEC markers within bile ducts and regenerative nodules or budding from strings of proliferative BECs in septa. These observations are not surprising as hepatocytes and BECs derive from a common fetal progenitor, the hepatoblast, and, as such, they are expected to compensate for each other's loss in adults. To investigate the cell origin of regenerated cell compartments and associated molecular mechanisms, numerous murine and zebrafish models with ability to trace cell fates have been extensively developed. This short review summarizes the clinical and preclinical studies illustrating the hepatobiliary plasticity and its potential therapeutic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minwook Kim
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Fatima Rizvi
- Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology Section, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Donghun Shin
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Valerie Gouon-Evans
- Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology Section, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
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3
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Zhao BB, Ye ZH, Gao X, Li HM. Diwu Yanggan Modulates the Wnt/β-catenin Pathway and Inhibits Liver Carcinogenesis Signaling in 2-AAF/PH Model Rats. Curr Med Sci 2019; 39:913-919. [PMID: 31845222 DOI: 10.1007/s11596-019-2123-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in oval cells after liver injury is implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis. Diwu Yanggan capsule is a Chinese herbal medicine that has been used for treating liver disorder. The present study aimed to examine the mechanism by which Diwu Yanggan inhibits liver carcinogenesis, and the involvement of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Diwu Yanggan capsule was administered to 2-acetaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PH) rats, a murine model of liver injury. The biomarkers of oval cells and key proteins in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were assessed on postoperative day 8, 10, 14, 17, 19 and 22. The results showed that treatment with Diwu Yanggan was associated with reduced expression of oval cell and stem cell biomarkers in the 2-AAF/PH animals. The expression pattern of key proteins in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was altered in Diwu Yanggan-treated animals, indicating that the Diwu Yanggan treatment accelerated the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in the initial stage and contributed to its deactivation in the later stage. Histological findings indicated that hepatocyte proliferation was suppressed in Diwu Yanggan-treated animals, compared with untreated 2-AAF/PH animals. Taken together, Diwu Yanggan capsule may reduce the risk of hepatocarcinogenesis by modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin-Bin Zhao
- Basic Medicine College, Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Zhi-Hua Ye
- Hepatology Institute, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Affiliated Hospital to Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hubei Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China
| | - Xiang Gao
- Hepatology Institute, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Affiliated Hospital to Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hubei Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China
| | - Han-Min Li
- Hepatology Institute, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Affiliated Hospital to Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hubei Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China.
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Ko S, Russell JO, Molina LM, Monga SP. Liver Progenitors and Adult Cell Plasticity in Hepatic Injury and Repair: Knowns and Unknowns. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PATHOLOGY-MECHANISMS OF DISEASE 2019; 15:23-50. [PMID: 31399003 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pathmechdis-012419-032824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The liver is a complex organ performing numerous vital physiological functions. For that reason, it possesses immense regenerative potential. The capacity for repair is largely attributable to the ability of its differentiated epithelial cells, hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells, to proliferate after injury. However, in cases of extreme acute injury or prolonged chronic insult, the liver may fail to regenerate or do so suboptimally. This often results in life-threatening end-stage liver disease for which liver transplantation is the only effective treatment. In many forms of liver injury, bipotent liver progenitor cells are theorized to be activated as an additional tier of liver repair. However, the existence, origin, fate, activation, and contribution to regeneration of liver progenitor cells is hotly debated, especially since hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells themselves may serve as facultative stem cells for one another during severe liver injury. Here, we discuss the evidence both supporting and refuting the existence of liver progenitor cells in a variety of experimental models. We also debate the validity of developing therapies harnessing the capabilities of these cells as potential treatments for patients with severe and chronic liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungjin Ko
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA; .,Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
| | - Jacquelyn O Russell
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA; .,Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
| | - Laura M Molina
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA; .,Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
| | - Satdarshan P Monga
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA; .,Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.,Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
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5
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Abstract
In a 2-year carcinogenicity study, we identified a spontaneous cholangiofibrosis in a control male Wistar rat. This lesion has long been considered as a compound-related change, with no spontaneous cases reported in the Wistar rat. In addition to routine hematoxylin and eosin stains evaluation, we applied Masson's trichrome staining, Alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff staining, and OV-6 immunohistochemistry staining. The special staining demonstrated the fibrous component in the interstitium and intestinal metaplasia of the epithelium (presence of goblet cells), while the positive anti-OV-6 reaction indicated the bile duct origin of the epithelium. These results help to confirm the diagnosis of cholangiofibrosis in this case. We report this rare case to alert pathologists that spontaneous cholangiofibrosis does occur in Wistar rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Chen
- 1 WestChina-Frontier PharmaTech Co., Ltd., Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Ke Chen
- 1 WestChina-Frontier PharmaTech Co., Ltd., Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Shaung Qiu
- 1 WestChina-Frontier PharmaTech Co., Ltd., Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Peter C Mann
- 2 Experimental Pathology Laboratories, Inc., Seattle, Washington, USA
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Russell JO, Lu W, Okabe H, Abrams M, Oertel M, Poddar M, Singh S, Forbes SJ, Monga SP. Hepatocyte-Specific β-Catenin Deletion During Severe Liver Injury Provokes Cholangiocytes to Differentiate Into Hepatocytes. Hepatology 2019; 69:742-759. [PMID: 30215850 PMCID: PMC6351199 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Liver regeneration after injury is normally mediated by proliferation of hepatocytes, although recent studies have suggested biliary epithelial cells (BECs) can differentiate into hepatocytes during severe liver injury when hepatocyte proliferation is impaired. We investigated the effect of hepatocyte-specific β-catenin deletion in recovery from severe liver injury and BEC-to-hepatocyte differentiation. To induce liver injury, we administered choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented (CDE) diet to three different mouse models, the first being mice with deletion of β-catenin in both BECs and hepatocytes (Albumin-Cre; Ctnnb1flox/flox mice). In our second model, we performed hepatocyte lineage tracing by injecting Ctnnb1flox/flox ; Rosa-stopflox/flox -EYFP mice with the adeno-associated virus serotype 8 encoding Cre recombinase under the control of the thyroid binding globulin promoter, a virus that infects only hepatocytes. Finally, we performed BEC lineage tracing via Krt19-CreERT ; Rosa-stopflox/flox -tdTomato mice. To observe BEC-to-hepatocyte differentiation, mice were allowed to recover on normal diet following CDE diet-induced liver injury. Livers were collected from all mice and analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. We show that mice with lack of β-catenin in hepatocytes placed on the CDE diet develop severe liver injury with impaired hepatocyte proliferation, creating a stimulus for BECs to differentiate into hepatocytes. In particular, we use both hepatocyte and BEC lineage tracing to show that BECs differentiate into hepatocytes, which go on to repopulate the liver during long-term recovery. Conclusion: β-catenin is important for liver regeneration after CDE diet-induced liver injury, and BEC-derived hepatocytes can permanently incorporate into the liver parenchyma to mediate liver regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn O. Russell
- Department of PathologyUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research CenterUniversity of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterPittsburghPA
| | - Wei‐Yu Lu
- MRC Centre for Regenerative MedicineUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- Centre for Liver ResearchUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Hirohisa Okabe
- Department of MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterPittsburghPA
- Department of Gastroenterological SurgeryKumamoto UniversityKumamotoJapan
| | | | - Michael Oertel
- Department of PathologyUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research CenterUniversity of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterPittsburghPA
| | - Minakshi Poddar
- Department of PathologyUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research CenterUniversity of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterPittsburghPA
| | - Sucha Singh
- Department of PathologyUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research CenterUniversity of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterPittsburghPA
| | - Stuart J. Forbes
- MRC Centre for Regenerative MedicineUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Satdarshan P. Monga
- Department of PathologyUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research CenterUniversity of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterPittsburghPA
- Department of MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterPittsburghPA
- Department of Gastroenterological SurgeryKumamoto UniversityKumamotoJapan
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7
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Identification of juvenility-associated genes in the mouse hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3132. [PMID: 29449671 PMCID: PMC5814429 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21445-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Young individuals possess distinct properties that adults do not. The juvenile animals show higher activities for growth, healing, learning and plasticity than adults. The machinery for establishing these juvenile properties is not fully understood. To better understand the molecular constituents for the above properties, we performed a comprehensive transcriptome analysis of differently aged cells of mice by high-throughput sequencing and identified the genes selectively highly expressed in the young cells. These genes, collectively called as juvenility-associated genes (JAGs), show significant enrichments in the functions such as alternative splicing, phosphorylation and extracellular matrix (ECM). This implies the juvenescence might be achieved by these functions at the cell level. The JAG mutations are associated with progeria syndromes and growth disorders. Thus, the JAGs might organize the juvenile property of young animals and analysis of JAGs may provide scientific and therapeutic approaches toward treating the genetic diseases.
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8
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Russell JO, Monga SP. Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Liver Development, Homeostasis, and Pathobiology. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PATHOLOGY-MECHANISMS OF DISEASE 2017; 13:351-378. [PMID: 29125798 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pathol-020117-044010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 260] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The liver is an organ that performs a multitude of functions, and its health is pertinent and indispensable to survival. Thus, the cellular and molecular machinery driving hepatic functions is of utmost relevance. The Wnt signaling pathway is one such signaling cascade that enables hepatic homeostasis and contributes to unique hepatic attributes such as metabolic zonation and regeneration. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays a role in almost every facet of liver biology. Furthermore, its aberrant activation is also a hallmark of various hepatic pathologies. In addition to its signaling function, β-catenin also plays a role at adherens junctions. Wnt/β-catenin signaling also influences the function of many different cell types. Due to this myriad of functions, Wnt/β-catenin signaling is complex, context-dependent, and highly regulated. In this review, we discuss the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, its role in cell-cell adhesion and liver function, and the cell type-specific roles of Wnt/β-catenin signaling as it relates to liver physiology and pathobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn O Russell
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
| | - Satdarshan P Monga
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.,Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.,Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA;
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9
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Köhn-Gaone J, Gogoi-Tiwari J, Ramm GA, Olynyk JK, Tirnitz-Parker JEE. The role of liver progenitor cells during liver regeneration, fibrogenesis, and carcinogenesis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2016; 310:G143-54. [PMID: 26608186 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00215.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The growing worldwide challenge of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma due to increasing prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption, viral hepatitis, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome has sparked interest in stem cell-like liver progenitor cells (LPCs) as potential candidates for cell therapy and tissue engineering, as an alternative approach to whole organ transplantation. However, LPCs always proliferate in chronic liver diseases with a predisposition to cancer; they have been suggested to play major roles in driving fibrosis, disease progression, and may even represent tumor-initiating cells. Hence, a greater understanding of the factors that govern their activation, communication with other hepatic cell types, and bipotential differentiation as opposed to their potential transformation is needed before their therapeutic potential can be harnessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Köhn-Gaone
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jully Gogoi-Tiwari
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth Western Australia, Australia
| | - Grant A Ramm
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - John K Olynyk
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth Western Australia, Australia; Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals, Western Australia, Australia; School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia; and
| | - Janina E E Tirnitz-Parker
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth Western Australia, Australia; School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Fremantle Western Australia, Australia
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10
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Michalopoulos GK, Khan Z. Liver Stem Cells: Experimental Findings and Implications for Human Liver Disease. Gastroenterology 2015; 149:876-882. [PMID: 26278502 PMCID: PMC4584191 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2015.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Revised: 08/08/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Evidence from human histopathology and experimental studies with rodents and zebrafish has shown that hepatocytes and cholangiocytes may function as facultative stem cells for each other in conditions of impaired regeneration. The interpretation of the findings derived from these studies has generated considerable discussion and some controversies. This review examines the evidence obtained from the different experimental models and considers implications that these studies may have for human liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zahida Khan
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
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11
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Govaere O, Roskams T. Pathogenesis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma at the cellular and molecular levels. Clin Liver Dis 2015; 19:261-76. [PMID: 25921662 DOI: 10.1016/j.cld.2015.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Different approaches predict the outcome for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression of biliary-hepatic progenitor cell markers generally correlates with poor prognosis. This article focuses on the pathogenesis of HCC, how differentiation or dedifferentiation leads to a phenotype switch, and heterogeneity in the same tumor. A tumor cell decides its fate based on a complex interplay of signaling pathways. Interaction with the microenvironment decides whether it will invade, proliferate, or enter survival mode. Several signaling pathways contribute to stemness features, reflecting a small chemoresistant subpopulation of the tumor that expresses biliary-hepatic progenitor cell markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Govaere
- Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KULeuven and University Hospitals Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 12, Leuven B3000, Belgium.
| | - Tania Roskams
- Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KULeuven and University Hospitals Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 12, Leuven B3000, Belgium.
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Annexin A3-Expressing Cellular Phenotypes Emerge from Necrotic Lesion in the Pericentral Area in 2-Acetylaminofluoren/Carbon Tetrachloride-Treated Rat Livers. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2014; 71:3082-9. [DOI: 10.1271/bbb.70501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Canovas-Jorda D, Louisse J, Pistollato F, Zagoura D, Bremer S. Regenerative toxicology: the role of stem cells in the development of chronic toxicities. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2013; 10:39-50. [PMID: 24102433 DOI: 10.1517/17425255.2013.844228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Human stem cell lines and their derivatives, as alternatives to the use of animal cells or cancer cell lines, have been widely discussed as cellular models in predictive toxicology. However, the role of stem cells in the development of long-term toxicities and carcinogenesis has not received great attention so far, despite growing evidence indicating the relationship of stem cell damage to adverse effects later in life. However, testing this in vitro is a scientific/technical challenge in particular due to the complex interplay of factors existing under physiological conditions. Current major research programs in stem cell toxicity are not aiming to demonstrate that stem cells can be targeted by toxicants. Therefore, this knowledge gap needs to be addressed in additional research activities developing technical solutions and defining appropriate experimental designs. AREAS COVERED The current review describes selected examples of the role of stem cells in the development of long-term toxicities in the brain, heart or liver and in the development of cancer. EXPERT OPINION The presented examples illustrate the need to analyze the contribution of stem cells to chronic toxicity in order to make a final conclusion whether stem cell toxicities are an underestimated risk in mechanism-based safety assessments. This requires the development of predictive in vitro models allowing the assessment of adverse effects to stem cells on chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Canovas-Jorda
- Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, DG Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission, Systems Toxicology Unit , Via E. Fermi 2749, TP 580, 21027 Ispra (VA) , Italy +39 0332 785914 ; +39 0332 785336 ;
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14
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Chen YH, Chang MH, Chien CS, Wu SH, Yu CH, Chen HL. Contribution of mature hepatocytes to small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells in retrorsine-exposed rats with chimeric livers. Hepatology 2013; 57:1215-24. [PMID: 23080021 DOI: 10.1002/hep.26104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 10/01/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The potential lineage relationship between hepatic oval cells, small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells (SHPCs), and hepatocytes in liver regeneration is debated. To test whether mature hepatocytes can give rise to SHPCs, rats with dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) chimeric livers, which harbored endogenous DPPIV-deficient hepatocytes and transplanted DPPIV-positive hepatocytes, were subjected to retrorsine treatment followed by partial hepatectomy (PH). DPPIV-positive hepatocytes comprised about half of the DPPIV chimeric liver mass. Tissues from DPPIV chimeric livers after retrorsine/PH treatment showed large numbers of SHPC clusters. None of the SHPC clusters were stained positive for DPPIV in any analyzed samples. Furthermore, serial sections stained for gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT, a marker of fetal hepatoblasts) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase, a marker of mature hepatocytes) showed inverse expression of the two enzymes and a staining pattern consistent with a lineage that begins with GGT(+)/G6Pase(-) to GGT(-)/G6Pase(+) within a single SHPC cluster. Using double immunofluorescence staining for markers specific for hepatic oval cells and hepatocytes in serial sections, oval cell proliferations with CK-19(+)/laminin(+) and OV-6(+)/C/EBP-α(-) were shown to extend from periportal areas into the SPHC clusters, differentiating into hepatic lineage by progressive loss of CK-19/laminin expression and appearance of C/EBP-α expression towards the cluster side. Cells in the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM(+)) SHPC clusters showed membranous EpCAM(+)/HNF-4α(+) (hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α) staining and were contiguous to the surrounding cytoplasmic EpCAM(+)/HNF-4α(-) ductular oval cells. Extensive elimination of oval cell response by repeated administration of 4,4'-methylenedianiline (DAPM) to retrorsine-exposed rats impaired the emergence of SHPC clusters. CONCLUSION These findings highly suggest the hepatic oval cells but not mature hepatocytes as the origin of SHPC clusters in retrorsine-exposed rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Hui Chen
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
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15
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Sharma AD, Iacob R, Cantz T, Manns MP, Ott M. Liver. Regen Med 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-5690-8_37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
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16
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Hattoum A, Rubin E, Orr A, Michalopoulos GK. Expression of hepatocyte epidermal growth factor receptor, FAS and glypican 3 in EpCAM-positive regenerative clusters of hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and progenitor cells in human liver failure. Hum Pathol 2012; 44:743-9. [PMID: 23114924 DOI: 10.1016/j.humpath.2012.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2012] [Revised: 07/20/2012] [Accepted: 07/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Liver regeneration under normal circumstances proceeds through proliferation of all cellular elements of the liver. Studies with rodent models have shown that when proliferation of hepatocytes is inhibited, progenitor cells arising from the biliary compartment transdifferentiate into "oval/progenitor" cells, which proceed to differentiate into hepatocytes. Recent studies have shown that the same pathways may operate in human liver failure. The growth factor receptors (HGF [hepatocyte growth factor] receptor) and epidermal growth factor receptor are key mitogenic receptors for both hepatocytes and progenitor cells. Our current study used the biliary and progenitor marker EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule) to detect "regenerative clusters" of mixed cholangiocyte-hepatocyte differentiation. We determined that expression of metabolic equivalent and epidermal growth factor receptor occurs in biliary cells, progenitor cells, and hepatocytes, whereas activation of metabolic equivalent and epidermal growth factor receptor is limited to regenerative cluster hepatocytes. These histologic events are associated with expression of apoptosis-inducing FAS and mitoinhibitory protein glypican 3. Cell proliferation was overall suppressed in regenerative clusters. Transdifferentiation of biliary and progenitor cells appears to be regulated by a complex interaction of signals promoting and arresting growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Hattoum
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
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Allameh A, Kazemnejad S. Safety evaluation of stem cells used for clinical cell therapy in chronic liver diseases; with emphasize on biochemical markers. Clin Biochem 2012; 45:385-96. [PMID: 22306885 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2012.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2011] [Revised: 01/16/2012] [Accepted: 01/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
There are several issues to be considered to reduce the risk of rejection and minimize side effects associated with liver cell transplantation in chronic liver diseases. The source and the condition of stem cell proliferation and differentiation ex vivo and the transplantation protocols are important safety considerations for cell based therapy. The biochemical and molecular markers are important tools for safety evaluation of different processes of cell expansion and transplantation. Studies show that hepatocytes differentiated from adult and embryonic stem cells exhibit biochemical and metabolic properties resembling mature hepatocytes. Therefore these assays can help to assess the biological and metabolic performance of hepatocytes and progenitor stem cells. The assays also help in testing the contribution of transplanted hepatocytes in improving the repair and function of damaged liver in the recipient. Here we review the biochemical and metabolic markers, which are implicated in evaluation of safety issues of stem cells used for therapeutic purposes in chronic liver diseases and regeneration of damaged liver. We also highlight application of biochemical tests for assessment of liver cell transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdolamir Allameh
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, PO Box 14115-111, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
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18
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Ezzat TM, Dhar DK, Newsome PN, Malagó M, Olde Damink SWM. Use of hepatocyte and stem cells for treatment of post-resectional liver failure: are we there yet? Liver Int 2011; 31:773-84. [PMID: 21645208 DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2011.02530.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Post-operative liver failure following extensive resections for liver tumours is a rare but significant complication. The only effective treatment is liver transplantation (LT); however, there is a debate about its use given the high mortality compared with the outcomes of LT for chronic liver diseases. Cell therapy has emerged as a possible alternative to LT especially as endogenous hepatocyte proliferation is likely inhibited in the setting of prior chemo/radiotherapy. Both hepatocyte and stem cell transplantations have shown promising results in the experimental setting; however, there are few reports on their clinical application. This review identifies the potential stem cell sources in the body, and highlights the triggering factors that lead to their mobilization and integration in liver regeneration following major liver resections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarek M Ezzat
- HPB and Liver Transplantation Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, Pond Street, London, UK
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19
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Ono Y, Kawachi S, Hayashida T, Wakui M, Tanabe M, Itano O, Obara H, Shinoda M, Hibi T, Oshima G, Tani N, Mihara K, Kitagawa Y. The influence of donor age on liver regeneration and hepatic progenitor cell populations. Surgery 2011; 150:154-61. [PMID: 21719061 DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2011.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2011] [Accepted: 05/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent reports suggest that donor age might have a major impact on recipient outcome in adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), but the reasons underlying this effect remain unclear. The aims of this study were to compare liver regeneration between young and aged living donors and to evaluate the number of Thy-1+ cells, which have been reported to be human hepatic progenitor cells. METHODS LDLT donors were divided into 2 groups (Group O, donor age ≥ 50 years, n = 6 and Group Y, donor age ≤ 30 years, n = 9). The remnant liver regeneration rates were calculated on the basis of computed tomography volumetry on postoperative days 7 and 30. Liver tissue samples were obtained from donors undergoing routine liver biopsy or patients undergoing partial hepatectomy for metastatic liver tumors. Thy-1+ cells were isolated and counted using immunomagnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) technique. RESULTS Donor liver regeneration rates were significantly higher in young donors compared to old donors (P = .042) on postoperative day 7. Regeneration rates were significantly higher after right lobe resection compared to rates after left lobe resection. The MACS findings showed that the number of Thy-1+ cells in the human liver consistently tended to decline with age. CONCLUSION Our study revealed that liver regeneration is impaired with age after donor hepatectomy, especially after right lobe resection. The declining hepatic progenitor cell population might be one of the reasons for impaired liver regeneration in aged donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiro Ono
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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20
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Sharma AD, Iacob R, Bock M, Cantz T, Manns MP, Ott M. Liver. Regen Med 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-9075-1_33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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21
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Guest I, Ilic Z, Sell S. Age dependence of oval cell responses and bile duct carcinomas in male fischer 344 rats fed a cyclic choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented diet. Hepatology 2010; 52:1750-7. [PMID: 20842700 PMCID: PMC2967670 DOI: 10.1002/hep.23880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The age dependence of the oval cell response and bile duct carcinomas of male F344 rats exposed to a cyclic choline deficiency-ethionine (CDE) diet (2 weeks on, 1 week off) supports the concept of loss of potential of liver stem cells to form cancers with aging. Livers of rats exposed at 3 weeks of age demonstrated a robust and widespread oval cell proliferation followed by cholangiofibrosis and bile duct metaplasia with extensive mucinous cysts throughout all lobes, and induction of cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs) in seven of eight rats. Livers of rats exposed beginning at 8 weeks of age had much less oval cell response and cholangiofibrosis with only 1 of 15 rats developing a CCA. Livers in old (10-12 months when started) rats remained virtually unaffected, with minimal oval cell proliferation, only occasional and small foci of ductular dysplasia, and none of 16 rats developed CCAs. In contrast to most published studies using uninterrupted choline deficiency plus a carcinogen, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was not observed under the conditions of this study. CONCLUSION With aging, male F344 rats exposed to cyclic CDE diet display a diminished oval cell response and fewer CCAs. The absence of HCC is possibly due to the fact that during cyclic CDE, the week off may allow putative liver stem cells to avoid death or differentiation and survive to give rise to CCAs, whereas with continuous CDE exposure, the stem cells are forced to differentiate and develop into HCCs with relatively few CCAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- I. Guest
- Department of Translational Medicine, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, 12201
| | - Z. Ilic
- Department of Translational Medicine, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, 12201
| | - S. Sell
- Department of Translational Medicine, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, 12201, Ordway Research Institute, Albany, NY, 12208,Corresponding Author: Stewart Sell, MD, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Room C-551, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY, 12201, Phone 518 474 0547, Fax 518 473 2900,
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22
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Best DH, Coleman WB. Liver regeneration by small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells after necrotic injury by carbon tetrachloride in retrorsine-exposed rats. Exp Mol Pathol 2010; 89:92-8. [PMID: 20599936 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2010.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2010] [Accepted: 06/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) in rats exposed to the pyrrolizidine alkaloid retrorsine is accomplished through the proliferation and differentiation of a population of small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells (SHPCs). The activation, emergence, and outgrowth of SHPCs in response to the liver deficit generated through surgical PH have been well characterized. However, the participation of these cells in the restoration of hepatocyte numbers and regeneration of liver tissue mass following necrotic injury has not been investigated. To investigate the capacity of SHPCs to respond to necrotizing liver injury, we combined retrorsine treatment with the centrilobular-specific toxin carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)). Male Fischer 344 rats were treated with retrorsine (30 mg/kg ip) at 6 and 8 weeks of age, followed by CCl(4) treatment (1500 mg/kg ip) 5 weeks later. Liver tissues were harvested at 3, 7, 14, 21, and 30-days post-injection. The dose of CCl(4) employed resulted in the necrotic destruction of 59±2% of liver mass and elicited a regenerative response equivalent to that of surgical PH. Livers from retrorsine-exposed CCl(4)-treated rats exhibit SHPC proliferation similar to retrorsine-exposed rats subjected to PH (RP). SHPCs appear at 3-days post-injection, continue to expand at 7-days and 14-days post-injection, and completely regenerate/restore the liver mass and structure in these animals by 30-days post-injection. The magnitude of SHPC response observed in the undamaged periportal zone of the liver in these animals is unaffected (versus RP rats) by the loss of the centrilobular region. The results of this study show that SHPCs are capable of regenerating liver after exposure to necrotizing agents and suggest that the progenitor cell of origin of the SHPCs is not restricted to the centrilobular zone of the liver parenchyma.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Hunter Best
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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23
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Hickling KC, Hitchcock JM, Chipman JK, Hammond TG, Evans JG. Induction and progression of cholangiofibrosis in rat liver injured by oral administration of furan. Toxicol Pathol 2010; 38:213-29. [PMID: 20231548 DOI: 10.1177/0192623309357945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Cholangiofibrosis is a structural anomaly that precedes the development of cholangiocarcinoma in some rodent models. In this article, the authors examine the contribution of the epithelial and mesenchymal cells in the pathogenesis of this complex lesion. Furan was administered to rats by gavage in corn oil at 30 mg/kg b.w. (five daily doses per week) and livers were sampled between eight hr to three months. Characteristically the administration of furan caused centrilobular injury, and restoration was accomplished by proliferation of hepatocytes. Some areas of the liver were, however, more severely affected, and here, injury extended into portal and capsular areas, which resulted in a rapid proliferation of ductular cells that extended into the parenchyma accompanied by a subtype of liver fibroblasts. These ductules either differentiated into hepatocytes, with loss of the associated fibroblasts, or progressed to form tortuous ductular structures that replaced much of the parenchyma, leading to cholangiofibrosis. Although it is unclear what determines the difference in the hepatic response, a loss of micro-environmental cues that instigate hepatocyte differentiation and termination of the hepatocyte stem cell repair response may be perturbed by continual furan administration that results in an irreversible expansile lesion that may mimic the features of cholangiocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- K C Hickling
- Safety Assessment, AstraZeneca R&D Charnwood, Loughborough, United Kingdom.
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24
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Dollé L, Best J, Mei J, Al Battah F, Reynaert H, van Grunsven LA, Geerts A. The quest for liver progenitor cells: a practical point of view. J Hepatol 2010; 52:117-29. [PMID: 19913937 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2009.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Many chronic liver diseases can lead to hepatic dysfunction with organ failure. At present, orthotopic liver transplantation represents the benchmark therapy of terminal liver disease. However this practice is limited by shortage of donor grafts, the need for lifelong immunosuppression and very demanding state-of-the-art surgery. For this reason, new therapies have been developed to restore liver function, primarily in the form of hepatocyte transplantation and artificial liver support devices. While already offered in very specialized centers, both of these modalities still remain experimental. Recently, liver progenitor cells have shown great promise for cell therapy, and consequently they have attracted a lot of attention as an alternative or supportive tool for liver transplantation. These liver progenitor cells are quiescent in the healthy liver and become activated in certain liver diseases in which the regenerative capacity of mature hepatocytes and/or cholangiocytes is impaired. Although reports describing liver progenitor cells are numerous, they have not led to a consensus on the identity of the liver progenitor cell. In this review, we will discuss some of the characteristics of these cells and the different ways that have been used to obtain these from rodents. We will also highlight the challenges that researchers are facing in their quest to identify and use liver progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Dollé
- Department of Cell Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
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25
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Abstract
Loss of hepatic tissue triggers a regenerative response in the whole organ. Under typical normal conditions, all hepatic cells (epithelial: hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells; non-epithelial: stellate cells, macrophages and endothelial cells) undergo one to three rounds of replication to establish the original number of cells and restore organ size. The review summarizes the literature of regenerative patterns in situations in which proliferation of either hepatocytes or biliary epithelial cells is inhibited. The evidence strongly suggests that under these circumstances, hepatocytes or biliary epithelial cells can function as facultative stem cells for each other and replenish the inhibited cellular compartment by a process of transdifferentiation, involving complex signaling pathways. These pathways are activated under experimental conditions in rodents and in fulminant hepatitis associated with liver failure in humans. Mechanistic analysis of these pathways has implications for liver biology and for potential therapeutic modalities in human liver disease.
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26
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Michalopoulos GK. Liver regeneration: alternative epithelial pathways. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2009; 43:173-9. [PMID: 19788929 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2009.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2009] [Revised: 09/18/2009] [Accepted: 09/21/2009] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Loss of hepatic tissue triggers a regenerative response in the whole organ. Under typical normal conditions, all hepatic cells (epithelial: hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells; non-epithelial: stellate cells, macrophages and endothelial cells) undergo one to three rounds of replication to establish the original number of cells and restore organ size. The review summarizes the literature of regenerative patterns in situations in which proliferation of either hepatocytes or biliary epithelial cells is inhibited. The evidence strongly suggests that under these circumstances, hepatocytes or biliary epithelial cells can function as facultative stem cells for each other and replenish the inhibited cellular compartment by a process of transdifferentiation, involving complex signaling pathways. These pathways are activated under experimental conditions in rodents and in fulminant hepatitis associated with liver failure in humans. Mechanistic analysis of these pathways has implications for liver biology and for potential therapeutic modalities in human liver disease.
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27
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Aframian DJ, Palmon A. Current status of the development of an artificial salivary gland. TISSUE ENGINEERING PART B-REVIEWS 2009; 14:187-98. [PMID: 18471085 DOI: 10.1089/ten.teb.2008.0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Salivary glands (SGs) secrete more than half a liter of saliva daily. Saliva has many functions in maintaining the normal homeostasis of the oral cavity. Several causes underlie salivary impairment, where irradiation therapy to head and neck cancer patients is one of the most debilitating causes leading to considerable decrease in the patients' quality of life. In the last decade, others and we have focused on implementing tissue engineering principles combined with gene transfer and stem cell methodologies to develop an artificial SG device. This manuscript provides an overview of the current status of engineering an artificial SG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doron J Aframian
- Department of Oral Medicine, Salivary Gland Clinic, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
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28
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Barut V, Sarraf CE. Intestinal metaplasia in liver of rats after partial hepatectomy and treatment with acetylaminofluorene. Cell Prolif 2009; 42:657-60. [PMID: 19624683 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2184.2009.00632.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The liver is widely recognized for its ability to self-regenerate after damage. Hepatocyte replication is the primary source of liver restoration, although hepatic stem cells (of one kind or another) may be a secondary font, only brought into effect when primary regeneration is severely compromised. MATERIALS AND METHODS In experiments using small rodents, such an injury can be inflicted by surgically removing a large portion of the liver followed by treatment with hepatotoxin 2-acetylaminofluorene. Regeneration by hepatocyte replication is blocked and thus, stem cell involvement is promoted. However, other responses may be stimulated and this study describes the presence of mucinous glandular structures in the healing liver after two-thirds of its volume was removed via hepatectomy followed by treatment with 2-acetylaminofluorene. RESULTS Unique observation of intestinal metaplastic cells was seen under alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff staining. CONCLUSION The existence of this phenotype (along with oval cells and small hepatocyte-like cells) is evidence of multipotency of progenitors involved in the hepatic healing response.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Barut
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Westminster, London, UK.
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29
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Nakamura Y, Kominami A, Tsujimoto Y, Nakayama Y, Kitahashi T, Yoshimoto S, Kubo A, Watanabe S, Kageyama M, Yokoyama M, Kido Y, Kobayashi Y, Kuwahata M, Chang CC, Upham BL, Trosko JE, Park EY, Sato K. Actin and Vimentin proteins with N-terminal deletion detected in tumor-bearing rat livers induced by intraportal-vein injection of Ha-ras-transfected rat liver cells. Int J Cancer 2009; 124:2512-9. [PMID: 19199359 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.24229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The introduction of the tumorigenic v-Ha-ras oncogene-transformed rat liver epithelial cells (WBras), which is deficient in gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC), into F344 rats, induces significant formation of hepatocellular tumors. GJIC plays a major role in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Using this in vivo tumor model system, we used 2-dimensional electrophoresis with isoelectric focusing in the first dimension and SDS-PAGE in the second dimension to globally identify proteins that are uniquely expressed in the livers of WBras-treated rats as compared to the sham control. Immunoblotting was used to identify Ras and Connexin43, which were the positive and negative marker proteins, respectively, of the introduced WBras cells. As predicted, immunoblotting indicated that the whole liver of tumor-bearing animals exhibited a decreased level of Connexin43 and an increased level of Ras. Connexin43 and GJIC were expressed and functional in normal liver, but not in the tumor. In addition to these 2 markers, an additional 4 proteins exhibited decreased levels and 2 proteins exhibited increased levels in the livers of tumor-bearing animals. N-Terminal sequencing analysis was used to identify these proteins, which were glucose-regulated protein 78, 2 isoforms of heat shock protein 60, and the beta-chain of ATP synthase for the down regulated proteins, and beta-Actin with a 46 amino acid deletion from its N-terminus and Vimentin with a 71 amino acid deletion from its N-terminus for the up regulated proteins. These data offer potentially new markers of liver tumorigenicity, particularly, Vimentin. (
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasushi Nakamura
- Department of Food Sciences and Nutritional Health, Kyoto Prefectural University, Shimogamo-Hangi, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan.
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30
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Alison MR, Islam S, Lim S. Stem cells in liver regeneration, fibrosis and cancer: the good, the bad and the ugly. J Pathol 2009; 217:282-98. [PMID: 18991329 DOI: 10.1002/path.2453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The worldwide shortage of donor livers to transplant end stage liver disease patients has prompted the search for alternative cell therapies for intractable liver diseases, such as acute liver failure, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Under normal circumstances the liver undergoes a low rate of hepatocyte 'wear and tear' renewal, but can mount a brisk regenerative response to the acute loss of two-thirds or more of the parenchymal mass. A body of evidence favours placement of a stem cell niche in the periportal regions, although the identity of such stem cells in rodents and man is far from clear. In animal models of liver disease, adopting strategies to provide a selective advantage for transplanted hepatocytes has proved highly effective in repopulating recipient livers, but the poor success of today's hepatocyte transplants can be attributed to the lack of a clinically applicable procedure to force a similar repopulation of the human liver. The activation of bipotential hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) is clearly vital for survival in many cases of acute liver failure, and the signals that promote such reactions are being elucidated. Bone marrow cells (BMCs) make, at best, a trivial contribution to hepatocyte replacement after damage, but other BMCs contribute to the hepatic collagen-producing cell population, resulting in fibrotic disease; paradoxically, BMC transplantation may help alleviate established fibrotic disease. HCC may have its origins in either hepatocytes or HPCs, and HCCs, like other solid tumours appear to be sustained by a minority population of cancer stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Alison
- Centre for Diabetes and Metabolic Medicine, St Bartholomew's Hospital and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.
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31
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Gkretsi V, Apte U, Mars WM, Bowen WC, Luo JH, Yang Y, Yu YP, Orr A, St.-Arnaud R, Dedhar S, Kaestner KH, Wu C, Michalopoulos GK. Liver-specific ablation of integrin-linked kinase in mice results in abnormal histology, enhanced cell proliferation, and hepatomegaly. Hepatology 2008; 48:1932-41. [PMID: 18846549 PMCID: PMC2597430 DOI: 10.1002/hep.22537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Hepatocyte differentiation and proliferation are greatly affected by extracellular matrix (ECM). Primary hepatocytes cultured without matrix dedifferentiate over time, but matrix overlay quickly restores differentiation. ECM also is critical in liver regeneration where ECM degradation and reconstitution are steps in the regenerative process. Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a cell-ECM-adhesion component implicated in cell-ECM signaling by means of integrins. We investigated the role of ILK in whole liver by using the LoxP/Cre model system. ILK was eliminated from the liver by mating homozygous ILK-floxed animals with mice expressing Cre-recombinase under control of the alpha fetoprotein enhancer and albumin promoter. After ablation of ILK, animals are born normal. Soon after birth, however, they develop histologic abnormalities characterized by disorderly hepatic plates, increased proliferation of hepatocytes and biliary cells, and increased deposition of extracellular matrix. Cell proliferation is accompanied by increased cytoplasmic and nuclear stabilization of beta-catenin. After this transient proliferation of all epithelial components, proliferation subsides and final liver to body weight ratio in livers with ILK deficient hepatocytes is two times that of wild type. Microarray analysis of gene expression during the stage of cell proliferation shows up-regulation of integrin and matrix-related genes and a concurrent down-regulation of differentiation-related genes. After the proliferative stage, however, the previous trends are reversed resulting in a super-differentiated phenotype in the ILK-deficient livers. CONCLUSION Our results show for the first time in vivo the significance of ILK and hepatic ECM-signaling for regulation of hepatocyte proliferation and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Gkretsi
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Udayan Apte
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Wendy M. Mars
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - William C. Bowen
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Jian-Hua Luo
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Yu Yang
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Yan P. Yu
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Ann Orr
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - René St.-Arnaud
- Shriners Hospital and McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Shoukat Dedhar
- British Columbia Cancer Agency and Vancouver Hospital, Jack Bell Research Center, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Klaus H. Kaestner
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Chuanyue Wu
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - George K. Michalopoulos
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
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32
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Enns GM, Millan MT. Cell-based therapies for metabolic liver disease. Mol Genet Metab 2008; 95:3-10. [PMID: 18640065 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2008.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2008] [Revised: 06/05/2008] [Accepted: 06/05/2008] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Liver transplantation is an important therapeutic option for many individuals with metabolic liver disease. Nevertheless, the invasive nature of surgery and limitations of donor organ availability have led to the search for alternatives to whole-organ transplantation. Cell-based therapies have been a particularly active area of investigation in recent years. Hepatocyte transplantations have been performed for a variety of indications, including acute liver failure, end-stage liver disease, and inborn errors of metabolism. Individuals with inborn errors of metabolism who have undergone hepatocyte transplantation have shown clinical improvement and partial correction of the underlying metabolic defect. In most cases, sustained benefits have not been observed. This may be related to inadequate cell dose, variations in the quality of hepatocyte preparations, rejection of the transplanted cells, or senescence of transplanted hepatocytes. Though initial proof of concept with hepatocyte transplantation has been demonstrated by a number of investigators, wide application of this technology has been hindered by the inability to secure a reliable and well-characterized cell source(s) for transplantation and by the challenges of sustained engraftment and expansion of transplanted cells in vivo. Cell-based therapies, including those based on stem cells or more differentiated progenitor cells, may represent the future of cell transplantation for treatment of metabolic liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory M Enns
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-5208, USA.
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33
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Expression of specific hepatocyte and cholangiocyte transcription factors in human liver disease and embryonic development. J Transl Med 2008; 88:865-72. [PMID: 18574450 PMCID: PMC2631390 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2008.56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors are major determinants of cell-specific gene expression in all cell types. Studies in rodent liver have shown that alterations in transcription factor expression determine lineage specification during fetal liver development and signify transdifferentiation of cells of the biliary compartment into 'oval' cells and eventually hepatocytes in adult liver. We examined the cellular localization of hepatocyte- or BEC-associated transcription factors in human fetal and adult liver and in diseases in which transdifferentiation between hepatocytes and biliary cells may play a role. In the normal adult human liver, hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)4 alpha and HNF6 appeared exclusively in hepatocytes; HNF1beta, HNF3alpha, and HNF3beta were observed only in BEC. During fetal development both BEC and hepatocytes expressed HNF3alpha, HNF3beta, and HNF6. HNF1alpha was expressed only in fetal hepatocytes. We further examined expression of transcription factors in massive hepatic necrosis and in specific types of chronic liver disease. Hepatocyte-associated transcription factors HNF4 alpha and HNF6 also appeared in BEC in massive hepatic necrosis and chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Similarly, HNF3beta that is expressed only in BEC in normal adult liver was also observed in hepatocytes in primary biliary cirrhosis and chronic biliary obstruction. These data mimic previous findings in rodents in which hepatocyte-associated transcription factors appear in biliary cells prior to emergence of oval cells, which function as progenitor cells for hepatocytes when the regenerative capacity of the latter is compromised.
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Kubota K, Soeda J, Misawa R, Mihara M, Miwa S, Ise H, Takahashi M, Miyagawa S. Bone marrow-derived cells fuse with hepatic oval cells but are not involved in hepatic tumorigenesis in the choline-deficient ethionine-supplemented diet rat model. Carcinogenesis 2008; 29:448-54. [DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgm279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
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Cantz T, Manns MP, Ott M. Stem cells in liver regeneration and therapy. Cell Tissue Res 2008; 331:271-82. [PMID: 17901986 PMCID: PMC2757593 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-007-0483-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2007] [Accepted: 07/18/2007] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The liver has adapted to the inflow of ingested toxins by the evolutionary development of unique regenerative properties and responds to injury or tissue loss by the rapid division of mature cells. Proliferation of the parenchymal cells, i.e. hepatocytes and epithelial cells of the bile duct, is regulated by numerous cytokine/growth-factor-mediated pathways and is synchronised with extracellular matrix degradation and restoration of the vasculature. Resident hepatic stem/progenitor cells have also been identified in small numbers in normal liver and implicated in liver tissue repair. Their putative role in the physiology, pathophysiology and therapy of the liver, however, is not yet precisely known. Hepatic stem/progenitor cells also known as "oval cells" in rodents have been implicated in liver tissue repair, at a time when the capacity for hepatocyte and bile duct replication is exhausted or experimentally inhibited (facultative stem/progenitor cell pool). Although much more has to be learned about the role of stem/progenitor cells in the physiology and pathophysiology of the liver, experimental analysis of the therapeutic value of these cells has been initiated. Transplantation of hepatic stem/progenitor cells or in vivo pharmacological activation of the pool of hepatic stem cells may provide novel modalities for the therapy of liver diseases. In addition, extrahepatic stem cells (e.g. bone marrow cells) are being investigated for their contribution to liver regeneration. Hepatic progenitor cells derived from embryonic stem cells are included in this review, which also discusses future perspectives of stem cell-based therapies for liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Cantz
- Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Muenster, Germany
| | - Michael P. Manns
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Center of Internal Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael Ott
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Center of Internal Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
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Best DH, Coleman WB. Bile duct destruction by 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane does not block the small hepatocyte-like progenitor cell response in retrorsine-exposed rats. Hepatology 2007; 46:1611-9. [PMID: 17705295 DOI: 10.1002/hep.21876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Liver regeneration after surgical partial hepatectomy (PH) in retrorsine-exposed rats is accomplished through the outgrowth and expansion of small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells (SHPCs). The cells of origin for SHPCs and their tissue niche have not been identified. Nevertheless, some investigators have suggested that SHPCs may represent an intermediate or transitional cell type between oval cells and mature hepatocytes, rather than a distinct progenitor cell population. We investigated this possibility through the targeted elimination of oval cell proliferation secondary to bile duct destruction in retrorsine-exposed rats treated with 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane (DAPM). Fischer 344 rats were treated with 2 doses (30 mg/kg body weight) retrorsine (at 6 and 8 weeks of age) followed by PH 5 weeks later. Twenty-four hours before PH, select animals were given a single dose of DAPM (50 mg/kg). Treatment of rats with DAPM produced severe bile duct damage but did not block liver regeneration. Oval cells were never seen in the livers of DAPM-treated retrorsine-exposed rats after PH. Rather, liver regeneration in these rats was mediated by the proliferation of SHPCs, and the cellular response was indistinguishable from that observed in retrorsine-exposed rats after PH. SHPC clusters emerge 1 to 3 days post-PH, expand through 21 days post-PH, with normalization of the liver occurring by the end of the experimental interval. CONCLUSION These results provide direct evidence that SHPC-mediated liver regeneration does not require oval cell activation or proliferation. In addition, these results provide strong evidence that SHPCs are not the progeny of oval cells but represent a distinct population of liver progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Hunter Best
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Curriculum in Toxicology, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Alison MR, Choong C, Lim S. Application of liver stem cells for cell therapy. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2007; 18:819-26. [PMID: 17997335 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2007.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2007] [Accepted: 09/28/2007] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The worldwide shortage of donor livers to transplant end stage liver disease patients has prompted the search for alternative cell therapies for intractable liver disease. Embryonic stem cells can be readily differentiated into hepatocytes, and their transplantation into animals has improved liver function in the absence of teratoma formation: their use in bioartificial liver support is an obvious application. In animal models of liver disease, adopting strategies to provide a selective advantage for transplanted foetal or adult hepatocytes have proved highly effective in repopulating recipient livers, but the poor success of today's hepatocyte transplants can be attributed to the lack of a clinically applicable procedure to force a similar repopulation of the human liver. The activation of bipotential hepatic progenitor cells is clearly vital for survival in many cases of acute liver failure, but surprisingly little progress has been made with these cells in terms of transplantation. Finally there is the controversial subject of autologous bone marrow, and while the contribution of these indigenous cells to liver turnover seems at best, trivial, results from a small number of phase 1 studies of transplantation of bone marrow to cirrhotic patients have been moderately encouraging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm R Alison
- Centre for Diabetes and Metabolic Medicine, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, ICMS, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, UK.
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Hubert C, Sempoux C, Horsmans Y, Rahier J, Humblet Y, Machiels JP, Ceratti A, Canon JL, Gigot JF. Nodular regenerative hyperplasia: a deleterious consequence of chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases? Liver Int 2007; 27:938-43. [PMID: 17696932 DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2007.01511.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
AIMS This report describes three patients suffering from nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH). METHODS These patients have received six, 16 and 20 cycles of neoadjuvant 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy before planned extended hepatectomy. Two patients underwent uneventful portal vein embolization to hypertrophy the future remnant liver. RESULTS At the end of chemotherapy, liver function tests deteriorated and portal hypertension appeared in two patients, including ascites, splenomegaly and oesophageal varices. Liver biopsy was performed through a percutaneous (two patients) or a transjugular approach (one patient) and allowed the diagnosis of NRH, which was considered to be a contraindication for major liver resection in all three patients, associated with extrahepatic disease progression in one patient. All patients died from neoplastic disease progression despite further chemotherapy at 6, 17 and 31 months following the diagnosis of NRH. One patient developed liver failure and ascites at the time of death. CONCLUSIONS Physicians should be aware of the potential occurrence and therapeutic impact of NRH in patients suffering from CRLM and treated by neoadjuvant 5FU-oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy before major liver surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Hubert
- Department of Abdominal Surgery and Transplantation, Division of Hepato-Biliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Saint-Luc University Hospital, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium
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Khuu DN, Najimi M, Sokal EM. Epithelial cells with hepatobiliary phenotype: is it another stem cell candidate for healthy adult human liver? World J Gastroenterol 2007; 13:1554-60. [PMID: 17461448 PMCID: PMC4146898 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i10.1154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM To investigate the presence and role of liver epithelial cells in the healthy human adult liver. METHODS Fifteen days after human hepatocyte primary culture, epithelial like cells emerged and started proliferating. Cell colonies were isolated and subcultured for more than 160 d under specific culture conditions. Cells were analyzed for each passage using immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that liver epithelial cells expressed common markers for hepatic and stem cells such as CD90, CD44 and CD29 but were negative for CD34 and CD117. Using immunofluorescence we demonstrated that liver epithelial cells expressed not only immature (alpha-fetoprotein) but also differentiated hepatocyte (albumin and CK-18) and biliary markers (CK-7 and 19), whereas they were negative for OV-6. RT-PCR analysis confirmed immunofluorescence data and revealed that liver epithelial cells did not express mature hepatocyte markers such as CYP2B6, CYP3A4 and tyrosine amino-transferase. Purified liver epithelial cells were transplanted into SCID mice. One month after transplantation, albumin positive cell foci were detected in the recipient mouse parenchyma. CONCLUSION According to their immature and bipotential phenotype, liver epithelial cells might represent a pool of precursors in the healthy human adult liver other than oval cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dung-Ngoc Khuu
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Brussels, Belgium
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Best DH, Coleman WB. Treatment with 2-AAF blocks the small hepatocyte-like progenitor cell response in retrorsine-exposed rats. J Hepatol 2007; 46:1055-63. [PMID: 17434228 PMCID: PMC1974854 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2007.01.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2006] [Revised: 01/05/2007] [Accepted: 01/09/2007] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) in retrorsine-exposed rats is accomplished through proliferation and differentiation of small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells (SHPCs). The cells of origin of SHPCs are not known. We investigated the possibility that SHPCs are directly derived from oval cells, a known liver progenitor cell, by combining the retrorsine/PH (RP) model with 2-acetamidofluorene (2-AAF), an anti-mitotic agent that elicits an oval cell reaction in response to liver deficit. METHODS Male Fischer 344 rats were treated with retrorsine (30 mg/kg ip) at 6 and 8 weeks of age, with PH 5 weeks after the final treatment. Seven days prior to PH, a 21-day 2-AAF (50mg) time-release pellet was inserted subcutaneously. Livers were harvested at 3, 7, 10, 14, and 21-days post-PH. RESULTS Liver sections from animals treated with 2-AAF/retrorsine/PH (2-AAF/RP) contain significant numbers of proliferating oval cells, but no SHPCs at 7-days post-PH, while RP animals exhibit significant numbers of SHPCs and minimal oval cell reaction. Between 10 and 14-days post-PH, new hepatocyte clusters appear in 2-AAF/RP treated rats. Labeling of proliferating oval cells with BrdU at 6-days post-PH demonstrated that these new hepatocytes represent the progeny of differentiating oval cells. CONCLUSIONS The observed differences in progenitor cell responses between 2-AAF/RP and RP animals strongly suggest that SHPCs are not the progeny of oval cell precursors, but represent an independent liver progenitor cell population.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Hunter Best
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Curriculum in Toxicology, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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41
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Sharma AD, Cantz T, Manns MP, Ott M. The role of stem cells in physiology, pathophysiology, and therapy of the liver. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 2:51-8. [PMID: 17142887 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-006-0009-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/1999] [Revised: 11/30/1999] [Accepted: 11/30/1999] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The objectives of the present review is to update readers with the rapidly changing concepts in liver stem cell biology and related clinical applications. The liver has adapted to the inflow of ingested toxins by the evolutionary development of unique regenerative properties and responds to injury or tissue loss by rapid division of the mature cells, hepatocytes, and bile duct epithelial cells. Proliferation of the parenchymal cells is regulated by numerous cytokine/growth factor-mediated pathways and is timely synchronized with extracellular matrix degradation and the restoration of the vasculature. The putative role of stem cells in physiology, pathophysiology, and therapy is not yet precisely known but currently is under intensive investigation. Resident hepatic stem/ progenitor cells have been identified in small numbers and implicated in liver tissue repair, when hepatocyte and bile duct replication capacity is exhausted or experimentally inhibited. Several independent reports have suggested that bone marrow cells can give rise to different hepatic epithelial cells types, including hepatic stem cells, hepatocytes, and bile duct epithelium. These observations have resulted in the hypothesis that extrahepatic stem cells, specifically bone marrow-derived stem cells, are an important source for liver epithelial cell replacement, particularly during chronic injury. Most of published data, however, now suggest that they do not play a relevant role in replacement of epithelial cells in any known form of hepatic injury. In vitro differentiation protocols for various adult extrahepatic stem cells might eventually provide valuable sources of cells for transplantation and therapy. Amniotic epithelial stem cells, fetal liver progenitor cells as well as embryonic stem cells currently emerge as alternative stem cell sources and open new possibilities for cellular therapies of liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Deep Sharma
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, Center of Internal Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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Castell JV, Jover R, Martínez-Jiménez CP, Gómez-Lechón MJ. Hepatocyte cell lines: their use, scope and limitations in drug metabolism studies. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2007; 2:183-212. [PMID: 16866607 DOI: 10.1517/17425255.2.2.183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Gaining knowledge on the metabolism of a drug, the enzymes involved and its inhibition or induction potential is a necessary step in pharmaceutical development of new compounds. Primary human hepatocytes are considered a cellular model of reference, as they express the majority of drug-metabolising enzymes, respond to enzyme inducers and are capable of generating in vitro a metabolic profile similar to what is found in vivo. However, hepatocytes show phenotypic instability and have a restricted accessibility. Different alternatives have been explored in the past recent years to overcome the limitations of primary hepatocytes. These include immortalisation of adult or fetal human hepatic cells by means of transforming tumour virus genes, oncogenes, conditionally immortalised hepatocytes, and cell fusion. New strategies are currently being used to upregulate the expression of drug-metabolising enzymes in cell lines or to derive hepatocytes from progenitor cells. This paper reviews the features of liver-derived cell lines, their suitability for drug metabolism studies as well as the state-of-the-art of the strategies pursued in order to generate metabolically competent hepatic cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- José V Castell
- University Hospital La Fe, Research Centre, Avda, Campanar 21, E-46009 Valencia, Spain
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43
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Kuhlmann WD, Peschke P. Hepatic progenitor cells, stem cells, and AFP expression in models of liver injury. Int J Exp Pathol 2006; 87:343-59. [PMID: 16965562 PMCID: PMC2517380 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2613.2006.00485.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult hepatocytes and liver-cell progenitors play a role in restoring liver tissue after injury. For the study of progenitor cells in liver repair, experimental models included (a) surgical removal of liver tissue by partial hepatectomy; (b) acute injury by carbontetrachloride; (c) acute injury by d-galactosamine (GalN) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NNM); and (d) chemical hepatocarcinogenesis by feeding NNM in low and high doses. Serological and immunohistological detection of alpha-fetoprotein gene expression served to follow pathways of cellular differentiation. Stem cells were not required in models of surgical removal of parenchyma and in carbon tetrachloride intoxication of adult hepatocytes. In contrast, regeneration of liver occurred through biliary epithelial cells in injuries induced by GalN and NNM. These biliary epithelial cells, collectively called oval cells, are most probably derived from the canals of Hering. Proliferating bile duct cells reached a level of differentiation with reactivation of foetal genes and significant alpha-1-fetoprotein (AFP) synthesis signalling a certain degree of retrodifferentiation with potential stemness. Due to the same embryonic origin of bile ducts and hepatocytes, biliary epithelium and its proliferating progeny (oval cells) have a defined role in liver regeneration as a transit and amplification compartment. In their early proliferation stage, oval cells were heavily engaged in DNA synthesis ([3H]thymidine labelling). Pulse-chase experiments during experimental hepatocarcinogenesis exhibited their development into hepatocytes with high risk for transformation and leading to foci of altered hepatocytes. Hepatocellular carcinomas may arise either from proliferating/differentiating oval cells or from adult hepatocytes; both cell types have stem-like properties. AFP-positive and AFP-negative carcinomas occurred in the same liver. They may represent random clonal origin. The heterogeneity of phenotypic marker (AFP) correlated with a process of retrodifferentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolf D Kuhlmann
- Division of Radiooncology, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Ramachandran S, Desai NM, Goers TA, Benshoff N, Olack B, Shenoy S, Jendrisak MD, Chapman WC, Mohanakumar T. Improved islet yields from pancreas preserved in perflurocarbon is via inhibition of apoptosis mediated by mitochondrial pathway. Am J Transplant 2006; 6:1696-703. [PMID: 16827873 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2006.01368.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Islet transplantation is a treatment option for type I diabetic patients. Preservation of human pancreata prior to islet isolation using two-layer method with perfluorocarbon (PFC) and University of Wisconsin solution (UW) results in twofold increase in islet yields. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism by which islets undergo apoptosis and determine PFC's effects on this process. Gene array analysis was used to analyze the expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes in islets isolated from pancreata preserved under varying conditions. A 12-fold increase in the expression of inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) and survivin was observed in islets isolated from pancreata preserved in PFC. This was accompanied by decreased expression of BAD (3.7-fold), BAX (2.7-fold) and caspases (5.2-fold). Levels of activated caspase-9 (77.98%), caspase-2 (61.5%), caspase-3 (68.3%) and caspase-8 (37.2%) were also reduced. 'Rescue' of pancreata after storage (12 h) in UW by preservation using PFC also resulted in a down-regulation of pro-apoptotic genes and inhibition of caspase activation. Apoptosis observed in islets from all groups was mainly mitochondria-dependent, mediated by change in redox potential initiated by hypoxia. We demonstrate that reduction in hypoxia of pancreata preserved using PFC leads to significant up-regulation of anti-apoptotic and inhibition of pro-apoptotic genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ramachandran
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Masson NM, Currie IS, Terrace JD, Garden OJ, Parks RW, Ross JA. Hepatic progenitor cells in human fetal liver express the oval cell marker Thy-1. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2006; 291:G45-54. [PMID: 16769813 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00465.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic progenitor cells play a major role in regenerating diseased liver. In rodents, progenitors forming hepatocytes or cholangiocytes are identified by the stem cell marker Thy-1. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether progenitor cells expressing Thy-1 could be identified in human fetal liver. Midtrimester human fetal liver was immunostained for Thy-1, cytokeratins 18 and 19, vimentin, CD34, CD45, and fibrinogen. Thy-1+ and Thy-1+CD34+ populations were purified using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Immunofluorescence and mRNA expression were used to examine the bipotential nature of purified stem cells. We found that Thy-1+ cells were concentrated in portal tracts but were also scattered in parenchyma. In FACS-prepared cells, 0.18-3.08% (median 0.65%, n = 14) of cells were Thy-1+. Immunophenotyping revealed that some Thy-1+ cells coexpressed cytokeratins 18 and 19, others, fibrinogen and cytokeratin 19. RT-PCR demonstrated that Thy-1+ cells expressed mRNA for Thy-1, cytokeratin 18, and cytokeratin 19, and Thy-1+CD34+ cells expressed mRNA for alpha-fetoprotein, transferrin, and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha. Thy-1+ cells were identified in fetal liver. These cells expressed several lineage markers, including coexpression of biliary and hepatocellular proteins and mRNA. These data suggest that Thy-1 is a marker of liver stem cells in human fetal liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil M Masson
- Tissue Injury and Repair Group, Department of Clinical and Surgical Sciences (Surgery), University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK.
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Koenig S, Krause P, Drabent B, Schaeffner I, Christ B, Schwartz P, Unthan-Fechner K, Probst I. The expression of mesenchymal, neural and haematopoietic stem cell markers in adult hepatocytes proliferating in vitro. J Hepatol 2006; 44:1115-24. [PMID: 16458388 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2005.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2005] [Revised: 09/23/2005] [Accepted: 09/29/2005] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Cultured adult hepatocytes may be stimulated into clonal expansion. We raise the question whether adult hepatocytes proliferating in vitro recapitulate the early process of hepatic development. METHODS A non-enzymatic method was used to isolate hepatocytes free of contamination with non-parenchymal cells. Hepatocytes were stimulated into proliferation in the presence of mitogens and conditioned media from non-parenchymal cell and hepatocyte culture supernatants. Immunofluorescence methods and PCR analysis were used to demonstrate immunophenotypical characteristics and gene expression profiles similar to those of progenitor cells. RESULTS Rapid growth occurred during the first 7 days of culture. Cells continued to express hepatic markers (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, cytokeratin 18, transferrin and dipeptidylpeptidase IV), but the gap junction protein connexin 32 was down-regulated. In the early stage of proliferation, cells started to express biliary and extrahepatic progenitor markers (cytokeratin 19, CD49b, CD49f, nestin, vimentin, Thy1 and c-kit), followed by cytokeratin 7, connexin 43, and neural cell adhesion molecule. Co-expression of the epithelial liver progenitor marker alpha-foetoprotein with either nestin (neural marker) or Thy1 (mesenchymal marker) was also demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS Mature hepatocytes reveal their potential to regain a spectrum of progenitor markers from different germ layers, suggesting enormous plasticity and differentiation potential of adult liver cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Koenig
- Department of General Surgery, Georg-August University Goettingen, Germany
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Xia JL, Dai C, Michalopoulos GK, Liu Y. Hepatocyte growth factor attenuates liver fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2006; 168:1500-12. [PMID: 16651617 PMCID: PMC1606599 DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2006.050747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2006] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hepatic fibrosis is a common outcome of a variety of chronic liver diseases. Here we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on liver fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) and investigated potential mechanisms. Mice underwent BDL, followed by intravenous injections of naked HGF expression plasmid or control vector. HGF gene therapy markedly ameliorated hepatic fibrotic lesions, as demonstrated by reduced alpha-smooth muscle actin (alphaSMA) expression, attenuated deposition of type I and type III collagen, and normalized total hydroxyproline content. HGF also suppressed transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) expression. Interestingly, colocalization of alphaSMA and cytokeratin-19 in bile duct epithelium was observed, suggesting the possibility of biliary epithelial to myofibroblast transition after BDL. Cells that were still positive for cytokeratin-19 but actively producing type I collagen were found in the biliary epithelia and periductal region. Laminin staining revealed an impaired basement membrane of the bile duct epithelium in diseased liver. These lesions were largely prevented by HGF administration. In vitro, treatment of human biliary epithelial cells with TGF-beta1 induced alphaSMA and fibronectin expression and suppressed cytokeratin-19. HGF abolished the phenotypic conversion of biliary epithelial cells induced by TGF-beta1. These results suggest that HGF ameliorates hepatic biliary fibrosis in part by blocking bile duct epithelial to mesenchymal transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Lin Xia
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
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Shan YF, Zhou WP, Fu XY, Yan HX, Yang W, Liu SQ, Cao HF, Kang B, Wu MC, Wang HY. The role of p28GANK in rat oval cells activation and proliferation. Liver Int 2006; 26:240-7. [PMID: 16448463 DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2005.01203.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human gankyrin gene product (p28GANK) is a novel oncogenic protein ubiquitously overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and also plays a role in cell cycle progression in normal hepatocytes and liver regeneration. However, little is known about the physiological role of p28GANK in the liver oval cell activation and proliferation. We investigated the possible involvement of p28GANK in oval cell-mediated liver regeneration and cell cycle progression. METHODS We examined the different p28GANK expression in 2-acetylaminofuorene/partial heptectomy (2-AAF/PH) rats, as a model of oval cell activation, and PH rats by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Oval cells isolated from 2-AAF/PH rat model were cultured in our study. p28GANK expression was examined in the oval cells after mitogenic stimulation. RESULTS In 2-AAF/PH rats, p28GANK was expressed in the activated oval cells and located in the nucleus. p28GANK protein expression was increased in 2-AFF/PH rats after hepatectomy lasting for 96 h when retinoblastoma maintained hyperphosphorylation status at Ser-795. The isolated oval cells express AFP, OV6, CK19, CD34, CD45, c-kit and albumin. After epidermal growth factor stimulation, p28GANK protein was up-regulated in oval cells from 24 to 72 h, which coincided with increased expression of CyclinD1, CDK4 and decreased of Rb protein. CONCLUSIONS p28GANK expression was increased in oval cell-mediated liver regeneration and oval cells after mitogenic stimulation. Thus, p28GANK may play a role in oval cell-mediated liver regeneration and liver oval cell cycle progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Feng Shan
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Institute, Shanghai, China
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49
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Yuan ZR, Kobayashi N, Kohsaka T. Human Jagged 1 mutants cause liver defect in Alagille syndrome by overexpression of hepatocyte growth factor. J Mol Biol 2005; 356:559-68. [PMID: 16403414 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.11.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2005] [Revised: 11/29/2005] [Accepted: 11/30/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Alagille syndrome (AGS, MIM 118450) is an autosomal dominant inherited disease. Paucity of interlobular bile ducts is one of the major abnormalities. To explore the molecular mechanism by which mutation in the human Jagged 1 gene (JAG1, MIM 601920) causes liver defects, we investigated the gene regulation of JAG1 to hepatocyte growth factor gene (HGF). By transfecting wild-type and mutant JAG1 into COS-7 cells in vitro, we found that HGF is a target gene of JAG1 downstream. Wild-type JAG1 is inhibitory for HGF expression and mutant JAG1s relieve the inhibition. Several domain disruptions in mutant JAG1 protein reveal a reduced inhibition to HGF expression at different levels. JAG1 mutations actually result in HGF overexpression. Furthermore, JAG1 controls HGF expression by a dosage-dependent regulation and Notch2 signaling seems to mediate JAG1 function. Given that HGF plays a critical role in differentiation of hepatic stem cells, overexpression of HGF acts on off-balanced cell fate determination in AGS patients. Hepatic stem cells may differentiate towards more hepatocytes but less biliary cells, thus causing the paucity of interlobular bile ducts in liver development of AGS. Our novel findings demonstrated that dosage-dependent regulation by mutations of JAG1 is a fundamental mechanism for liver abnormality in AGS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng-Rong Yuan
- National Children's Medical Research Center and National Children's Hospital, Tokyo 154, Japan.
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Michalopoulos GK, Barua L, Bowen WC. Transdifferentiation of rat hepatocytes into biliary cells after bile duct ligation and toxic biliary injury. Hepatology 2005; 41:535-44. [PMID: 15726663 PMCID: PMC1821079 DOI: 10.1002/hep.20600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Rats with chimeric livers were generated by using the protocol of injecting hepatocytes from dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV)-positive donors into retrorsine-treated DPPIV-negative recipients subjected to partial hepatectomy. Rats with established chimeric livers were subjected to bile duct ligation, with or without pretreatment with the biliary toxin methylene diamiline (DAPM). Ductules bearing the donor hepatocyte marker DPPIV were seen at 30 days after bile duct ligation. The frequency of the ductules derived from the donor hepatocytes was dramatically enhanced (36-fold) by the pretreatment with DAPM. In conclusion, our results show that hepatocytes can function as facultative stem cells and rescue the biliary epithelium during repair from injury when its proliferative capacity is being compromised.
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Affiliation(s)
- George K Michalopoulos
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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