Abstract
Isolation of hepatic progenitor cells is a promising approach for cell replacement therapy of chronic liver disease. The winged helix transcription factor Foxl1 is a marker for progenitor cells and their descendants in the mouse liver in vivo. Here, we purify progenitor cells from Foxl1-Cre; RosaYFP mice and evaluate their proliferative and differentiation potential in vitro. Treatment of Foxl1-Cre; RosaYFP mice with a 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1, 4-dihydrocollidine diet led to an increase of the percentage of YFP-labeled Foxl1+ cells. Clonogenic assays demonstrated that up to 3.6% of Foxl1+ cells had proliferative potential. Foxl1+ cells differentiated into cholangiocytes and hepatocytes in vitro, depending on the culture condition employed. Microarray analyses indicated that Foxl1+ cells express stem cell markers such as Prom1 as well as differentiation markers such as Ck19 and Hnf4a. Thus, the Foxl1-Cre; RosaYFP model allows for easy isolation of adult hepatic progenitor cells that can be expanded and differentiated in culture.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1185-1192 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Genes and Development |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1 2011 |
Keywords
- Bilineage
- Foxl1
- Liver
- Progenitor cells
- Sox9
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology