Estrogen Acts Through Estrogen Receptor 2b to Regulate Hepatobiliary Fate During Vertebrate Development.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

During liver development, bipotent progenitor cells differentiate into hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells to ensure a functional liver required to maintain organismal homeostasis. The developmental cues controlling the differentiation of committed progenitors into these cell types, however, are incompletely understood. Here, we discover an essential role for estrogenic regulation in vertebrate liver development to affect hepatobiliary fate decisions.

Approach and results

Exposure of zebrafish embryos to 17β-estradiol (E2) during liver development significantly decreased hepatocyte-specific gene expression, liver size, and hepatocyte number. In contrast, pharmacological blockade of estrogen synthesis or nuclear estrogen receptor (ESR) signaling enhan

SUBMITTER: Chaturantabut S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8290048 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature