Hepatic stellate cells in zone 1 engage in capillarization rather than myofibroblast formation in murine liver fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: The combination of lineage tracing and immunohistochemistry has helped to identify subpopulations and fate of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) in murine liver. HSC are sinusoidal pericytes that act as myofibroblast precursors after liver injury. Single cell RNA sequencing approaches have recently helped to differentiate central and portal HSC. A specific Cre line to lineage trace portal HSC has not yet been described. We used three Cre lines (Lrat-Cre, PDGFRβ-CreER^T2 and SMMHC-CreER^T2) known to label mesenchymal cells including HSC in combination with a tdTomato-expressing reporter. All three Cre lines labeled populations of HSC as well as smooth muscle cells (SMC). Using the SMMHC-CreER^T2, we identified a subtype of HSC in the periportal area of the hepatic lo

SUBMITTER: Khan MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11322391 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature