title: The dynamic biliary epithelia: molecules, pathways, and disease.
abstract: Cholangiocytes, the cells lining bile ducts, are a heterogenous, highly dynamic population of epithelial cells. While these cells comprise a small fraction of the total cellular component of the liver, they perform the essential role of bile modification and transport of biliary and blood constituents. From a pathophysiological standpoint, cholangiocytes are the target of a diverse group of biliary disorders, collectively referred to as the cholangiopathies. To date, the cause of most cholangiopathies remains obscure. It is known, however, that cholangiocytes exist in an environment rich in potential mediators of cellular injury, express receptors that recognize potential injurious insults, and participate in portal tract repair processes following hepatic injury. As such, cholangiocytes may not be only a passive target, but are likely directly and actively involved in the pathogenesis of cholangiopathies. Here, we briefly summarize the characteristics of the reactive cholangiocyte and cholangiocyte responses to potentially injurious endogenous and exogenous molecules, and in addition, present emerging concepts in our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of several cholangiopathies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, United States.
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tabibian
authors.forename: Patrick L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Splinter
authors.forename: Nicholas F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: LaRusso
mesh_terms: D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001659:Biliary Tract / Q000166:cytology*; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / Q000502:physiology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator