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Updated: May 11, 2026

Hepatic Progenitor Specification from Pluripotent Stem Cells using a Defined Differentiation System
Published on: May 10, 2020
Differentiation of progenitors in the liver: a matter of local choice
Luke Boulter1, Wei-Yu Lu, Stuart J Forbes
1Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The liver is a complex organ that requires multiple rounds of cell fate decision for development and homeostasis throughout the lifetime. During the earliest phases of organogenesis, the liver acquires a separate lineage from the pancreas and the intestine, and subsequently, the liver bud must appropriately differentiate to form metabolic hepatocytes and cholangiocytes for proper hepatic physiology. In addition, throughout life, the liver is bombarded with chemical and pathological insults, which require the activation and correct differentiation of adult progenitor cells. This Review seeks to provide an overview of the complex signaling relationships that allow these tightly regulated processes to occur.
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