title: Seeds in the liver.
abstract: The liver is a crucial organ for homeostasis and has a tremendous self-renewal and regenerative capacity. It has long been believed that the self-renewal and repair of the liver within a given physiological condition or its repopulation in chronic liver diseases, when hepatocyte proliferation is impaired, will primarily be conducted by the proliferating duct cells, termed "oval cells" or hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs). In addition, numerous studies have revealed that HPCs are the initial tumor cells of liver cancer under certain micro-environments. However, benefit from the extensive application of lineage tracing strategies using the Cre/LoxP system, researchers have redefined the fate of these bipotential cells, raising obvious controversies regarding the capacity of liver cells to control their own biology and differentiation. Here, we review the relevant articles, focusing on cell-lineage tracing to better understanding seed cells and their distinct fate in the liver.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Key Laboratory of Transplant Engineering and Immunology, NHFPC, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.
authors.forename: Hongjie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Transplant Engineering and Immunology, NHFPC, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.
authors.forename: Yanrong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Key Laboratory of Transplant Engineering and Immunology, NHFPC, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China. Electronic address: shiyujun@scu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yujun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology
keywords: Cre/LoxP; Hepatic progenitor cell; Lineage tracing; Seed cells