title: Characteristics of rat bone marrow cells differentiated into a liver cell lineage and dynamics of the transplanted cells in the injured liver.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bone marrow cells (BMCs) have been shown to differentiate into a liver cell lineage, but little is known about their dynamics following transplantation. BMCs were cultured to investigate the expression of liver-specific genes in vitro and transplanted into in vivo liver-injury models to elucidate their dynamics in the liver.
  
  
  METHODS
  The mRNA expression of various liver-specific genes in BMCs cocultured with hepatocytes was analyzed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. BMCs from transgenic rats expressing green fiuorescent protein were transplanted into the spleen of rat liver-injury models induced with 2-acetylaminofiuorene (2-AAF) or carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). BMCs were also transplanted directly into livers treated with CCl4 to determine which route is better for transplantation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BMCs differentiated into a liver cell lineage in vitro and expressed mRNAs consistent with mature hepatocytes, including albumin. The transplanted BMCs were found in the liver in the CCl4-induced injury model, but not in the 2-AAF-induced model. The hepatocyte growth factor and fibroblast growth factor mRNA levels in the liver were significantly higher in the CCl4-induced model than in the 2-AAF-induced model. Migration of BMCs to the liver was more effective following injection into the liver, rather than into the spleen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cultured BMCs differentiated into a liver cell lineage are a potential source for cell transplantation. Transplantation is successful in the severely injured liver with a high level of expression of mRNAs for growth factors. Injection of BMCs directly into the liver is the preferred route of administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Course of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumoto
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haga
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Rika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Tetsuru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karasawa
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Misawa
authors.forename: Mai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanjo
authors.forename: Jun-itsu
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugahara
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Togashi
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawata
mesh_terms: D015073:2-Acetylaminofluorene / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D015073:2-Acetylaminofluorene; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride