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Growth potential of adult hepatocytes in mammals: Highly replicative small hepatocytes with liver progenitor‐like traits
Author(s) -
Yoshizato Katsutoshi
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
development, growth and differentiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.864
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1440-169X
pISSN - 0012-1592
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-169x.2007.00918.x
Subject(s) - biology , progenitor cell , liver regeneration , microbiology and biotechnology , hepatocyte , population , progenitor , regeneration (biology) , stem cell , liver cytology , phenotype , parenchyma , in vitro , endocrinology , gene , genetics , liver metabolism , medicine , botany , environmental health
The liver is one of the few organs that is capable of completely regenerating itself without using a stem cell population. When damaged, growth factors and cytokines are released, stimulating terminally differentiated adult hepatocytes and making them re‐enter the cell cycle. We have been developing a series of studies on the growth potential of rat and human hepatocytes to identify a population of hepatocytes that is responsible for the regeneration of the injured liver. For this purpose, we established an appropriate culture method for hepatocytes by which growth and differentiation capacities are practically examined under various experimental conditions. This in vitro assay system allows us to identify small hepatocytes that are prominently replicative compared to large hepatocytes. Non‐parenchymal cells play critical roles in the proliferation of small hepatocytes. These hepatocytes are present in both rat and human liver and are located in portal regions there. Phenotypic features were examined at morphological and gene/protein levels in detail, which showed the phenotypic plasticity in vitro . Mammalian liver includes a population of small hepatocytes in normal adults with a minute occupancy rate. We speculate that small hepatocytes play a role in regenerating the injured liver and in compensating for apoptotic hepatocytes in the physiological turnover of hepatocytes.