Antagonistic interaction between Wnt and Notch activity modulates the regenerative capacity of a zebrafish fibrotic liver model.

ABSTRACT:

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In chronic liver failure patients with sustained fibrosis, excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins substantially dampens the regenerative capacity of the hepatocytes, resulting in poor prognosis and high mortality. Currently, the mechanisms and the strategies of inducing endogenous cellular sources such as hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) to regenerate hepatocytes in various contexts of fibrogenic stimuli remain elusive. Here we aim to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms that mediate the effects of sustained fibrosis on hepatocyte regeneration using the zebrafish as a model. In the ethanol-induced fibrotic zebrafish model, we identified a subset of HPCs, responsive to Notch signaling, that retains its capacity to regenerate as hepatocytes. Dis

SUBMITTER: Huang M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4211965 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature