title: Hepatic progenitor cells express SerpinB3.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the setting of liver injury hepatic progenitor cells are activated, counterbalancing the inhibited regenerative capacity of mature hepatocytes. Chronic activation of this compartment may give rise to a subset of liver tumours with poor prognosis. SerpinB3, a serpin over-expressed in injured liver and in primary liver cancer, has been shown to induce apoptosis resistance, epithelial to mesenchymal transition and to increase TGF-beta and Myc expression. Aim of the present study was to explore the presence of SerpinB3 in hepatic progenitor cells in human livers and in a mouse model of liver stem/progenitor cell activation.Hepatic progenitor cells were analysed in foetal and adult livers at protein and transcriptional levels. To induce experimental activation of the liver stem/progenitor compartment, C57BL/6J mice were injected with lipopolysaccharide plus D-galactosamine and were sacrificed at different time points. Liver cDNA was amplified using specific primers for mouse-homologous SerpinB3 isoforms and automatically sequenced.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence of SerpinB3 in the progenitor cell compartment was detected in sorted human foetal and adult epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) positive liver cells. By immunohistochemistry SerpinB3 was found in human cirrhotic livers in portal areas with progenitor cell activation showing ductular proliferation. CK-7, CK-19, EpCAM and CD-90 positive cell were also positive for SerpinB3. In the animal model, time course analysis in liver specimens revealed a progressive increase of SerpinB3 and a parallel decrease of activated caspase 3, which was barely detectable at 20 hours. Transcription analysis confirmed the presence of SerpinB3-homologous only in the liver of injured mice and sequence analysis proved its belonging to mouse Serpinb3b.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SerpinB3 is highly expressed in hepatic stem/progenitor cell compartment of both foetal and adult livers.
authors: Gianmarco
authors: G
authors: Villano
authors: Cristian
authors: C
authors: Turato
authors: Santina
authors: S
authors: Quarta
authors: Mariagrazia
authors: M
authors: Ruvoletto
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Ciscato
authors: Liliana
authors: L
authors: Terrin
authors: Rossella
authors: R
authors: Semeraro
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Paternostro
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Parola
authors: Domenico
authors: D
authors: Alvaro
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Bernardi
authors: Angelo
authors: A
authors: Gatta
authors: Department of Medicine-DIMED, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 2, Padua 35128, Italy. patrizia@unipd.it.
authors: Patrizia
authors: P
authors: Pontisso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053539:Keratin-19 / Q000378:metabolism; D053552:Keratin-7 / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015843:Serpins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D053539:Keratin-19; D053552:Keratin-7; D015843:Serpins; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens; C051072:squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen; D053148:Caspase 3