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A single‐cell transcriptomic analysis reveals precise pathways and regulatory mechanisms underlying hepatoblast differentiation
Author(s) -
Yang Li,
Wang WeiHua,
Qiu WeiLin,
Guo Zhen,
Bi Erfei,
Xu ChengRan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.29353
Subject(s) - cholangiocyte , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , progenitor cell , cellular differentiation , hepatocyte , stem cell , embryonic stem cell , transcriptome , cell fate determination , endocrinology , transcription factor , genetics , gene expression , in vitro , gene
How bipotential hepatoblasts differentiate into hepatocytes and cholangiocytes remains unclear. Here, using single‐cell transcriptomic analysis of hepatoblasts, hepatocytes, and cholangiocytes sorted from embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) to E17.5 mouse embryos, we found that hepatoblast‐to‐hepatocyte differentiation occurred gradually and followed a linear default pathway. As more cells became fully differentiated hepatocytes, the number of proliferating cells decreased. Surprisingly, proliferating and quiescent hepatoblasts exhibited homogeneous differentiation states at a given developmental stage. This unique feature enabled us to combine single‐cell and bulk‐cell analyses to define the precise timing of the hepatoblast‐to‐hepatocyte transition, which occurs between E13.5 and E15.5. In contrast to hepatocyte development at almost all levels, hepatoblast‐to‐cholangiocyte differentiation underwent a sharp detour from the default pathway. New cholangiocyte generation occurred continuously between E11.5 and E14.5, but their maturation states at a given developmental stage were heterogeneous. Even more surprising, the number of proliferating cells increased as more progenitor cells differentiated into mature cholangiocytes. Based on an observation from the single‐cell analysis, we also discovered that the protein kinase C/mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathway promoted cholangiocyte maturation. Conclusion : Our studies have defined distinct pathways for hepatocyte and cholangiocyte development in vivo , which are critically important for understanding basic liver biology and developing effective strategies to induce stem cells to differentiate toward specific hepatic cell fates in vitro . (H epatology 2017;66:1387–1401).