A transmembrane glycoprotein, gp38, is a novel marker for immature hepatic progenitor cells in fetal mouse livers
✍ Scribed by Sayuri Konishi; Kentaro Yasuchika; Takamichi Ishii; Ken Fukumitsu; Naoko Kamo; Naoya Fujita; Iwao Ikai; Shinji Uemoto
- Book ID
- 107427304
- Publisher
- Society for In Vitro Biology
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 517 KB
- Volume
- 47
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1475-2689
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✦ Synopsis
Previously, we clarified the surface antigen profiles of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) in fetal liver tissue as the CD49f^+^CD45^−^Thy1^−^ cell fraction. However, these cells were a heterogeneous cell population containing various stages of differentiation. This study aimed to detect more immature HPCs, using a novel surface antigen, gp38. After the collagenase digestion of fetal livers harvested from E13.5 to E18.5 fetal mice, HPCs were obtained and divided into two subpopulations using flow cytometry: gp38-positive HPCs, and gp38-negative HPCs. Both types of HPCs were characterized by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. The proliferative activity was compared by BrdU incorporation and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTS) assay. Furthermore, the comprehensive gene expression was investigated by DNA microarray. Both types of HPCs expressed alpha-fetoprotein. However, the gp38-positive HPCs derived from E13.5 fetal livers did not express albumin or cytokeratin 19, while the gp38-negative HPCs did. DNA microarray revealed that some genes related to the Wnt signal pathway were up-regulated in the gp38-positive HPCs. Furthermore, Wnt3a had a proliferative effect on the gp38-positive HPCs. In conclusion, the gp38-positive HPCs derived from fetal liver tissue until E13.5 could therefore be candidates for hepatic stem cells in the fetal liver.