title: Bile acids and stellate cells.
abstract: Hepatic stellate cells are mainly known for their contribution to fibrogenesis in chronic liver diseases, but their identity and function in normal liver remain unclear. They were recently identified as liver-resident mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can differentiate not only into adipocytes and osteocytes, but also into liver epithelial cells such as hepatocytes and bile duct cells as investigated in vitro and in vivo. During hepatic differentiation, stellate cells and other MSCs transiently develop into liver progenitor cells with epithelial characteristics before hepatocytes are established. Transplanted stellate cells from the liver and pancreas are able to contribute to liver regeneration in stem cell-based liver injury models and can also home into the bone marrow, which is in line with their classification as MSCs. There is experimental evidence that bile acids support liver regeneration and are able to activate signaling pathways in hepatic stellate cells. For this reason, it is important to analyze the influence of bile acids on developmental fate decisions of hepatic stellate cells and other MSC populations.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kordes
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sawitza
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Götze
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Häussinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D055166:Hepatic Stellate Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D058954:Pancreatic Stellate Cells / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts