Hybrid Periportal Hepatocytes Regenerate the Injured Liver without Giving Rise to Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Compensatory proliferation triggered by hepatocyte loss is required for liver regeneration and maintenance but also promotes development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite extensive investigation, the cells responsible for hepatocyte restoration or HCC development remain poorly characterized. We used genetic lineage tracing to identify cells responsible for hepatocyte replenishment following chronic liver injury and queried their roles in three distinct HCC models. We found that a pre-existing population of periportal hepatocytes, located in the portal triads of healthy livers and expressing low amounts of Sox9 and other bile-duct-enriched genes, undergo extensive proliferation and replenish liver mass after chronic hepatocyte-depleting injuries. Despite their high regenerative pot

SUBMITTER: Font-Burgada J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4545590 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature