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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

In Vitro Cultivation Techniques for Modeling Liver Organogenesis, Building Assembloids, and Designing Synthetic Tissues using Human Cell Lines
Published on: April 18, 2025
Expression of fascin-1, an actin-bundling protein, in migrating hepatoblasts during rat liver development
Yoshihiro Hayashi1, Katsumi Toda, Toshiji Saibara
1Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kochi University, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8505, Japan. jm-hayashiy@kochi-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Fascin-1 is an actin-bundling protein localized at the core actin bundles within microvillar projections and filopodial extensions in migrating cells. It is expressed at a low level in normal epithelial cells, but at a high level in tumor cells, indicating its importance in the invasion and motility of tumor cells. In addition, fascin-1 is expressed in human and murine embryos, occurring at high levels especially in developing nervous tissues. In this study, we have investigated the expression patterns of fascin-1 immunohistochemically during the early stages of rat hepatogenesis. A high expression of fascin-1 was detected in the liver bud and hepatoblasts at embryonic day (ED) 10.5, ED11.5, and ED12.5. Expression fell by ED13.5 and was not detectable at ED14.5. These observations demonstrate that the expression of fascin-1 is correlated with the migration activity of hepatoblasts during the early stages of liver development in rats.
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