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Updated: Aug 7, 2025
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Isolation and Enrichment of Liver Progenitor Subsets Identified by a Novel Surface Marker Combination
Published on: February 18, 2017
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Bipotent transitional liver progenitor cells contribute to liver regeneration
Wenjuan Pu1, Huan Zhu1, Mingjun Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Nature Genetics
|March 14, 2023
Summary
Biliary epithelial cells (BECs) can become hepatocytes after severe liver injury. Researchers identified a transitional liver progenitor cell (TLPC) that facilitates this transdifferentiation, revealing key signaling pathways involved in liver regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Cell Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Severe liver injury impairs hepatocyte regeneration.
- Biliary epithelial cells (BECs) possess potential for transdifferentiation into hepatocytes.
- The specific BEC subset and mechanisms for transdifferentiation remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the progenitor cells involved in BEC-mediated liver regeneration.
- To elucidate the mechanisms driving BEC transdifferentiation into hepatocytes.
- To understand the role of signaling pathways in liver repair.
Main Methods:
- Dual genetic lineage tracing to label transitional liver progenitor cells (TLPCs).
- Analysis of cell fate and differentiation potential of TLPCs.
- Investigation of Notch and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Identification of a transitional liver progenitor cell (TLPC) originating from BECs.
- TLPCs were found to be bipotent, differentiating into hepatocytes or reverting to BECs.
- Notch signaling mediates BEC-to-TLPC conversion, while Wnt/β-catenin signaling drives TLPC-to-hepatocyte differentiation.
Conclusions:
- BECs can regenerate the liver via a TLPC intermediate.
- TLPCs are bipotent progenitor cells crucial for liver repair.
- Notch and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways are critical regulators of transdifferentiation-assisted liver regeneration.
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