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In vitro differentiation of hepatic progenitor cells from mouse embryonic stem cells induced by sodium butyrate
Author(s) -
Zhou QingJun,
Xiang LiXin,
Shao JianZhong,
Hu RuoZhen,
Lu YongLiang,
Yao Hang,
Dai LiCheng
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/jcb.20970
Subject(s) - progenitor cell , biology , cellular differentiation , microbiology and biotechnology , sodium butyrate , stem cell , embryonic stem cell , amniotic epithelial cells , liver cytology , hepatocyte , adult stem cell , cell culture , in vitro , endocrinology , biochemistry , genetics , liver metabolism , gene
Recently it was shown that embryonic stem (ES) cells could differentiate into hepatocytes both in vitro and in vivo, however, prospective hepatic progenitor cells have not yet been isolated and characterized from ES cells. Here we presented a novel 4‐step procedure for the differentiation of mouse ES cells into hepatic progenitor cells and then hepatocytes. The differentiated hepatocytes were identified by morphological, biochemical, and functional analyses. The hepatic progenitor cells were isolated from the cultures after the withdrawal of sodium butyrate, which was characterized by scant cytoplasm, ovoid nuclei, the ability of rapid proliferation, expression of a series of hepatic progenitor cell markers, and the potential of differentiation into hepatocytes and bile duct‐like cells under the proper conditions that favor hepatocyte and bile epithelial differentiation. The differentiation of hepatocytes from hepatic progenitor cells was characterized by a number of hepatic cell markers including albumin secretion, upregulated transcription of glucose‐6‐phophatase and tyrosine aminotransferase, and functional phenotypes such as glycogen storage. The results from our experiments demonstrated that ES cells could differentiate into a novel bipotential hepatic progenitor cell and mature into hepatocytes with typical morphological, phenotypic and functional characteristics, which provides an useful model for the studies of key events during early liver development and a potential source of transplantable cells for cell‐replacement therapies. J. Cell. Biochem. 100: 29–42, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.