HNF4A is essential for specification of hepatic progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells.

ABSTRACT: The availability of pluripotent stem cells offers the possibility of using such cells to model hepatic disease and development. With this in mind, we previously established a protocol that facilitates the differentiation of both human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells into cells that share many characteristics with hepatocytes. The use of highly defined culture conditions and the avoidance of feeder cells or embryoid bodies allowed synchronous and reproducible differentiation to occur. The differentiation towards a hepatocyte-like fate appeared to recapitulate many of the developmental stages normally associated with the formation of hepatocytes in vivo. In the current study, we addressed the feasibility of using human pluripotent stem cells to probe the molecular mec

SUBMITTER: DeLaForest A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3171218 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature