T-cadherin modulates hepatocyte functions in vitro

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biochemistry
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Primary hepatocytes lose function and viability when isolated from the liver.
• Stromal cells can restore hepatocyte function in vitro, but the mechanisms are unclear.
• A functional genomic screen identified truncated-cadherin (T-cadherin) as a potential inducer of hepatic functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of T-cadherin in maintaining hepatocyte function in vitro.
• To determine if T-cadherin can be used to enhance hepatocyte function for tissue engineering applications.

Main Methods:

• Coculturing primary rat hepatocytes with Chinese hamster ovary cells engineered to express T-cadherin.
• Culturing hepatocytes on substrata coated with recombinant T-cadherin protein (acellular presentation).
• Assessing liver-specific functions and viability of hepatocytes under different culture conditions.

Main Results:

• Cocultivation with T-cadherin-expressing cells significantly induced liver-specific functions in primary rat hepatocytes.
• Acellular presentation of T-cadherin enhanced hepatocyte functions in both pure cultures and cocultures.
• T-cadherin demonstrated a positive effect on hepatocyte phenotype modulation in vitro.

Conclusions:

• Both cellular and acellular T-cadherin presentation can effectively modulate hepatocyte phenotype in vitro.
• T-cadherin holds potential for tissue engineering applications aimed at restoring liver function.
• Further investigation into T-cadherin's role in vivo during embryogenesis and liver pathology is warranted.