title: Promoter-defined isolation and identification of hepatic progenitor cells from the human fetal liver.
abstract: Hepatoblasts, which are considered one type of hepatic progenitor cell, reside in the fetal liver. To selectively identify these cells, we transfected primary cultured human fetal liver cells (FLCs) with a pGL3 vector bearing the gene for the enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) under the control of the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) promoter expressed in hepatoblasts. The FLCs were then sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) on the basis of AFP promoter-driven EGFP expression. The EGFP-positive cells expressed AFP, albumin, and cytokeratin 19, and could be expanded in vitro. Thus, the AFP promoter-EGFP reporter system is highly useful for identification and isolation of hepatic progenitor cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Municipal Laboratory for Liver Protection and Regulation of Regeneration, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yongmei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: An
mesh_terms: D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins