title: Clonal identification and characterization of self-renewing pluripotent stem cells in the developing liver.
abstract: Using flow cytometry and single cell-based assays, we prospectively identified hepatic stem cells with multilineage differentiation potential and self-renewing capability. These cells could be clonally propagated in culture where they continuously produced hepatocytes and cholangiocytes as descendants while maintaining primitive stem cells. When cells that expanded in vitro were transplanted into recipient animals, they morphologically and functionally differentiated into hepatocytes and cholangiocytes with reconstitution of hepatocyte and bile duct structures. Furthermore, these cells differentiated into pancreatic ductal and acinar cells or intestinal epithelial cells when transplanted into pancreas or duodenal wall. These data indicate that self-renewing pluripotent stem cells persist in the developing mouse liver and that such cells can be induced to become cells of other organs of endodermal origin under appropriate microenvironment. Manipulation of hepatic stem cells may provide new insight into therapies for diseases of the digestive system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Y W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onodera
authors.forename: Katashi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukao
authors.forename: Hiromitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakauchi
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000166:cytology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology*; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010179:Pancreas / Q000166:cytology; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000032:analysis; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met