Walkup Maggie H, Gerber David A
Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, 27599-7211, USA.
Stem Cells. 2006 Aug;24(8):1833-40. doi: 10.1634/stemcells.2006-0063. Epub 2006 May 4.
The field of stem cell biology has exploded with the study of a wide range of cellular populations involving endodermal, mesenchymal, and ectodermal organs. One area of extensive study has included the identification of hepatic stem and progenitor cell subpopulations. Liver stem cells provide insights into the potential pathways involving liver regeneration that are independent of mature hepatocytes. Hepatic progenitor cells are either bipotent or multipotent and capable of multiple rounds of replication. They have been identified in fetal as well as adult liver. Various injury models have been used to expand this cellular compartment. The nomenclature, origin, and function of the hepatic progenitor cell populations are areas of ongoing debate. In this review, we will discuss the different definitions and functions of hepatic progenitor cells as well as the current research efforts examining their therapeutic potential.
干细胞生物学领域因对涉及内胚层、间充质和外胚层器官的广泛细胞群体的研究而蓬勃发展。广泛研究的一个领域包括肝干细胞和祖细胞亚群的鉴定。肝干细胞为深入了解独立于成熟肝细胞的肝脏再生潜在途径提供了线索。肝祖细胞具有双能或多能性，能够进行多轮复制。它们已在胎儿肝脏以及成体肝脏中被鉴定出来。各种损伤模型已被用于扩大这个细胞区室。肝祖细胞群体的命名、起源和功能是目前仍在争论的领域。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论肝祖细胞的不同定义和功能，以及目前研究其治疗潜力的研究工作。
