[Serum from partial hepatectomy rat and hepatocyte growth factor stimulate bone marrow cell expressing albumin and alpha fetoprotein].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the effect of serum from partial hepatectomy (PH) rat and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on expression of albumin and AFP of bone marrow cells.


METHODS
The bone marrow mono-nucleated cells were separated from SD rats and cultured in three groups: (1) The medium only group as control was added normal fetal bovine serum; (2) Rat hepatic injury serum group (was added 15% rat serum from 2-AAF+PH model); (3) HGF group (HGF 20 ng/ml). The role of these factors was determined by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot, using AFP and albumin as special hepatocytic markers.


RESULTS
By immunohistochemical staining and Western blot, the fresh bone marrow cells were AFP-negative, same as the cells cultured with medium only group. While bone marrow cells, co-cultured with rat hepatic injury serum or HGF at day 10 and 20, expressed AFP protein. AFP mRNA expression could be found in bone marrow cells after 10 and 20 days cultured with rat hepatic injury serum or HGF, but not in fresh bone marrow cells and bone marrow cells cultured with medium only. Albumin mRNA expression was weak in fresh bone marrow cell and increased in groups 2 and 3.


CONCLUSIONS
The rat hepatic injury serum or HGF could stimulate the expression of AFP protein and it's mRNA of bone marrow cells. Also they can stimulate albumin mRNA expression. It seems that, in bone marrow, there is a kind of cells so called bone marrow derived liver stem cell which can express albumin mRNA in a weak style.
Digestive Disease Institute, Department of Digestive Disease, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450003, China.
Jun
J
Ma
Fang-Ling
FL
Duan
Fu-Gui
FG
Yan
Wen-Xi
WX
Li
Xiao
X
Wang
Xiang-Yu
XY
Chen
Tian-Hui
TH
Gao
Wu-Ling
WL
Zhu
Zhi-Qing
ZQ
Wang
D000418:Albumins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D006498:Hepatectomy; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D044967:Serum; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
D000418:Albumins; D003470:Culture Media; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor