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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
09:13
Generation of Organoids from Mouse Extrahepatic Bile Ducts
Published on: April 23, 2019
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Sox9 links biliary maturation to branching morphogenesis
Hannah R Hrncir1,2, Sergei Bombin1, Brianna Goodloe1
1Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, Emory University. Atlanta, GA USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|January 31, 2024
Summary
Sox9 is crucial for developing small bile ductules in the liver. Its absence impairs biliary epithelial cell maturation and leads to fewer ductules in adult livers.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell biology
- Hepatology
Background:
- Branching morphogenesis is key for tissue architecture and cellular differentiation.
- Intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD) morphogenesis involves biliary epithelial cell (BEC) specification and forms a complex duct network.
- Understanding the regulators of IHBD development is essential for liver biology.
Conclusions:
- Sox9 plays a critical role in establishing the precursors for small bile ductules during liver development.
- BEC maturation and adult IHBD morphology are regulated by Sox9-dependent ductule precursor formation.
- Downregulation of Activin A, partly mediated by Sox9, is important for ductule formation and BEC maturation.
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