Abstract
Background/Aims: Recently, several cells found within the liver have been reported to derive from
bone marrow (BM). This study sought to examine the commitment of BM cells to hepatic
stellate cell (HSC) lineage in mouse liver.
Methods: We transplanted BM cells from green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice into
age-matched C57BL/J mice. Hepatic nonparenchymal cells were isolated from the livers
of BM-transplanted mice using density gradient centrifugation with Nycodenz. The expression
of lineage markers by the isolated cells was evaluated by RT-PCR and immunostaining.
We then examined the histology of liver tissues obtained from BM-transplanted mice
with and without carbon tetrachloride-induced injury.
Results: GFP-expressing cells with intracytoplasmic lipid droplets comprised 33.4±2.3% of
the cells isolated by density gradient centrifugation. These cells expressed the HSC
lineage markers, such as desmin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), by both
RT-PCR and immunostaining. During a 7-day culture, GFP-positive cells began to express
α-smooth muscle actin, a marker of activated HSC. In the liver of BM-transplanted
mice, GFP-positive nonparenchymal cells expressed GFAP and extended their process
around hepatocytes. Upon liver injury, these cells also co-expressed desmin and α-smooth
muscle actin.
Conclusions: Nonparenchymal cells, derived from transplanted BM, acquired HSC characteristics
in both quiescent and activated states.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
October 2,
2003
Received in revised form:
September 18,
2003
Received:
February 14,
2003
See Editorial, pages 331–334Identification
Copyright
© 2003 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
