title: Suppression of lethal-7b and miR-125a/b Maturation by Lin28b Enables Maintenance of Stem Cell Properties in Hepatoblasts.
abstract: In liver development, hepatoblasts that act as hepatic stem/progenitor cells proliferate and differentiate into both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes to form liver tissues. Although numerous factors contribute to this event, little is known about the roles of microRNAs in hepatoblast proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we focused on the lineage-28 (Lin28) family proteins, which are required for microRNA regulation in pluripotent stem cells and cancer cells, and investigated their roles as regulatory factors for the properties of hepatoblasts.
  
  
  
  Lin28b was specifically expressed in hepatoblasts, and its suppression induced growth arrest and cholangiocyte differentiation of hepatoblasts; mechanistically, Lin28b positively regulates the expression of Lin28b itself and cell cycle-related proteins in hepatoblasts by suppressing the maturation of target microRNAs, lethal-7b and miR-125a/b, enabling maintenance of the stem cell properties of hepatoblasts, such as their capabilities for proliferation and bi-lineage differentiation, during liver development. (Hepatology 2016;64:245-260).
authors.affiliation: Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takashima
authors.affiliation: Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.affiliation: Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Miyako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Udono
authors.affiliation: Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shizuka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.affiliation: Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Junpei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.|Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C570876:Lin28b protein, mouse; D035683:MicroRNAs; C527468:Mirn125 microRNA, mouse; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C542687:mirnlet7 microRNA, mouse