Hepatocyte-Specific β-Catenin Deletion During Severe Liver Injury Provokes Cholangiocytes to Differentiate Into Hepatocytes.

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; Ctnnb1^flox/flox mice). In our second model, we performed hepatocyte lineage tracing by injecting Ctnnb1^flox/flox ; Rosa-stop^flox/flox -EYFP mic

SUBMITTER: Russell JO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6351199 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature