title: The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway: master regulator of liver zonation?
abstract: The liver contains two systems for the removal of ammonia - the urea cycle and the enzyme glutamine synthetase. These systems are expressed in a complementary fashion in two distinct populations of hepatocytes, referred to as periportal and perivenous cells. One of the unresolved problems in hepatology has been to elucidate the molecular mechanisms responsible for induction and maintenance of the cellular heterogeneity for ammonia detoxification. There is now a potential molecular explanation for the zonation of the urea cycle and glutamine synthetase based on the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
authors.forename: Zoë D
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tosh
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D000641:Ammonia