title: Hepato-biliary profile of potential candidate liver progenitor cells from healthy rat liver.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the presence of progenitor cells in healthy adult rat liver displaying the equivalent advanced hepatogenic profile as that obtained in human.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rat fibroblastic-like liver derived cells (rFLDC) were obtained from collagenase-isolated liver cell suspensions and characterized and their phenotype profile determined using flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and functional assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  rFLDC exhibit fibroblastoid morphology, express mesenchymal (CD73, CD90, vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin), hepatocyte (UGT1A1, CK8) and biliary (CK19) markers. Moreover, these cells are able to store glycogen, and have glucose 6 phosphatase activity, but not UGT1A1 activity. Under the hepatogenic differentiation protocol, rFLDC display an up-regulation of hepatocyte markers expression (albumin, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, G6Pase) correlated to a down-regulation of the expression of the biliary marker CK19.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Advanced hepatic features observed in human liver progenitor cells could not be demonstrated in rFLDC. However, we demonstrated the presence of an original rodent hepato-biliary cell type.
authors: Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
authors: Cédric
authors: C
authors: Maerckx
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Scheers
authors: Tatiana
authors: T
authors: Tondreau
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Campard
authors: Omar
authors: O
authors: Nyabi
authors: Mustapha
authors: M
authors: Najimi
authors: Etienne
authors: E
authors: Sokal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods; D048430:Cell Shape; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers