Molecular mechanisms of liver development and differentiation.

Recent advances in identifying molecular signals that dictate liver development and differentiation have come from analysis of several experimental systems including the developing embryo, cell and tissue culture, knockout mice and transplantation of hepatic precursor cells. Fibroblast growth factors and several families of transcription factors including hepatocyte nuclear factors 1, 3 and 4 and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein have been shown to be important components of the differentiation process that culminates in the fully functional liver.