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Updated: Feb 8, 2026
09:24
Decellularization and Recellularization of Whole Livers
Published on: February 4, 2011
22.5K
Hepatocyte-like cells generated by direct reprogramming from murine somatic cells can repopulate decellularized
Chen Chen1,2, Iris Pla-Palacín3, Pedro M Baptista3,4,5,6,7
1Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
|July 1, 2018
Summary
This study developed a new method to create uniform induced hepatocytes (iHeps) from mouse cells. These iHeps show mature liver functions and can be used for tissue engineering and cell therapy.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Direct reprogramming offers a method to generate induced hepatocytes (iHeps) from somatic cells.
- Current iHep generation protocols result in heterogeneous cell populations lacking fully mature phenotypes of primary hepatocytes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a novel strategy for generating homogenous and functional induced hepatocytes (iHeps).
- To overcome the limitations of current direct reprogramming protocols for hepatocyte generation.
Main Methods:
- Development of a polycistronic expression system for direct reprogramming.
- Induction of reprogramming in mouse embryonic fibroblasts towards hepatocytes.
- Characterization of generated iHeps for homogeneity and functional maturity.
Main Results:
- Generated iHeps are homogenous and display key properties of primary hepatocytes, including marker expression, albumin secretion, and liver transaminase activity.
- iHeps demonstrate the capacity to repopulate decellularized liver tissue.
- Enhanced hepatic maturation was observed in the generated iHeps.
Conclusions:
- The polycistronic expression system provides a novel strategy for generating homogenous and functional iHeps.
- These iHeps hold significant potential for applications in liver tissue engineering and cell therapy.
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