PUBLICATION
Contributions of biliary epithelial cells to hepatocyte homeostasis and regeneration in zebrafish
- Authors
- Zhang, W., Chen, J., Ni, R., Yang, Q., Luo, L., He, J.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-210306-2
- Date
- 2021
- Source
- iScience 24: 102142 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- He, Jianbo, Luo, Lingfei
- Keywords
- cellular biology, cellular physiology, developmental biology
- MeSH Terms
- none
- PubMed
- 33665561 Full text @ iScience
Citation
Zhang, W., Chen, J., Ni, R., Yang, Q., Luo, L., He, J. (2021) Contributions of biliary epithelial cells to hepatocyte homeostasis and regeneration in zebrafish. iScience. 24:102142.
Abstract
Whether transdifferentiation of the biliary epithelial cells (BECs) to hepatocytes occurs under physiological conditions and contributes to liver homeostasis remains under long-term debate. Similar questions have been raised under pathological circumstances if a fibrotic liver is suffered from severe injuries. To address these questions in zebrafish, we established a sensitive lineage tracing system specific for the detection of BEC-derived hepatocytes. The BEC-to-hepatocyte transdifferentiation occurred and became minor contributors to hepatocyte homeostasis in a portion of adult individuals. The BEC-derived hepatocytes distributed in clusters in the liver. When a fibrotic liver underwent extreme hepatocyte damages, BEC-to-hepatocyte transdifferentiation acted as the major origin of regenerating hepatocytes. In contrast, partial hepatectomy failed to induce the BEC-to-hepatocyte conversion. In conclusion, based on a sensitive lineage tracing system, our results suggest that BECs are able to transdifferentiate into hepatocytes and contribute to both physiological hepatocyte homeostasis and pathological regeneration.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping