Control of hepatic differentiation by activin/TGFbeta signaling.
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.
Clotman
Frédéric
F
Hormone and Metabolic Research Unit, Institute of Cellular Pathology and Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Lemaigre
Frédéric P
FP
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*
D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D028341:Activins