title: Fibroblast growth factor enriches the embryonic liver cultures for hepatic progenitors.
abstract: Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) play an important role in hepatic induction during development. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of exogenous FGFs on ex vivo liver development. We begin our analysis by examining FGF signaling during early mouse liver development. Phospho-FGF receptor (Tyr653/654) was detected in embryonic day 10 (E10) to E12 livers only. Next, E10 livers were cultured in the presence of FGF1, FGF4, or FGF8 for 72 hours and examined for histology, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation. FGFs especially FGF8 promoted sheet-like architecture, cell proliferation, and survival as compared to the control. All FGFs induced a striking increase in the number of c-kit and alpha-fetoprotein-positive progenitors, without altering albumin staining. However these progenitors were CK-19-positive (biliary and bipotential progenitor marker) only in the presence of FGF1 or FGF4 and not FGF8. FGFs also induced beta-catenin, a stem cell renewal factor in these cultures. In conclusion, the presence of activated FGFR indicates a physiological role of FGF during early liver development. FGF1 and FGF4 enrich the embryonic liver cultures for bipotential hepatic progenitors. FGF8 promotes such enrichment and induces a one-step differentiation toward a unipotential hepatocyte progenitor. Thus, FGFs might be useful for enrichment and propagation of developmental hepatic progenitors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Sandeep S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Sekhon
authors.forename: Xinping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Micsenyi
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: Satdarshan P S
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Monga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D005865:Gestational Age; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D011247:Pregnancy; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis*; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; C496349:Fgfr1 protein, mouse; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1