Berlin Institute of Health Centre for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health @Charite, Berlin, Germany.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Dec;89:102257. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102257. Epub 2024 Sep 9.
Cholangiocytes are the main cell type lining the epithelium of the biliary tree of the liver. This cell type has been implicated not only in diseases affecting the biliary tree but also in chronic liver diseases targeting other hepatic cells such as hepatocytes. However, the isolation and culture of cholangiocytes have been particularly arduous, thereby limiting the development of new therapies. The emergence of organoids has the potential to address in part this challenge. Indeed, cholangiocyte organoids can be established from both the intra- and extrahepatic regions of the biliary tree, providing an advantageous platform for disease modeling and mechanism investigations. Accordingly, recent studies on cholangiocyte organoids, together with the advent of single-cell -omics, have opened the field to exciting discoveries concerning the plastic nature of these cells and their capability to adapt to different environments and stimuli. This review will focus on describing how these plasticity properties could be exploited in regenerative medicine and cell-based therapy, opening new frontiers for treating disorders affecting the biliary tree and beyond.
胆管细胞是肝脏胆管树的上皮细胞的主要细胞类型。这种细胞类型不仅与影响胆管树的疾病有关，而且与针对其他肝细胞（如肝细胞）的慢性肝病有关。然而，胆管细胞的分离和培养一直特别困难，从而限制了新疗法的发展。类器官的出现有可能在一定程度上解决这一挑战。事实上，胆管细胞类器官可以从胆管树的肝内和肝外区域建立，为疾病建模和机制研究提供了有利的平台。因此，最近关于胆管细胞类器官的研究，以及单细胞组学的出现，使人们对这些细胞的可塑性及其适应不同环境和刺激的能力有了令人兴奋的发现。这篇综述将重点描述如何在再生医学和基于细胞的治疗中利用这些可塑性特性，为治疗影响胆管树及其他器官的疾病开辟新的前沿。
