title: Control of hepatic differentiation by activin/TGFbeta signaling.
abstract: During liver development, liver progenitors called hepatoblasts differentiate into hepatocytes or biliary cells. Recently, we showed that the segregation between hepatocytes and biliary cells is dependent on a gradient of Activin/TGFbeta signaling, and that Activin/TGFbeta signaling is controlled in fetal liver by transcription factors of the Onecut family. Here, we discuss candidate factors possibly involved in the formation of the Activin/TGFbeta signaling gradient, how this gradient could integrate into a network of signaling pathways modulating hepatoblast differentiation, and the implications for human liver disease and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Hormone and Metabolic Research Unit, Institute of Cellular Pathology and Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Clotman
authors.forename: Frédéric P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Lemaigre
mesh_terms: D028341:Activins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D028341:Activins