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Updated: Jul 21, 2026

In vivo Liver Endocytosis Followed by Purification of Liver Cells by Liver Perfusion
Published on: November 10, 2011
Seeds in the liver
Hongjie Ji1, Yanrong Lu2, Yujun Shi1
1Laboratory of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Key Laboratory of Transplant Engineering and Immunology, NHFPC, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.
Abstract:
The liver is a crucial organ for homeostasis and has a tremendous self-renewal and regenerative capacity. It has long been believed that the self-renewal and repair of the liver within a given physiological condition or its repopulation in chronic liver diseases, when hepatocyte proliferation is impaired, will primarily be conducted by the proliferating duct cells, termed "oval cells" or hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs). In addition, numerous studies have revealed that HPCs are the initial tumor cells of liver cancer under certain micro-environments. However, benefit from the extensive application of lineage tracing strategies using the Cre/LoxP system, researchers have redefined the fate of these bipotential cells, raising obvious controversies regarding the capacity of liver cells to control their own biology and differentiation. Here, we review the relevant articles, focusing on cell-lineage tracing to better understanding seed cells and their distinct fate in the liver.
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