Vol. 277, Issue 6, G1097-G1102, December 1999
THEMES
Lessons From Genetically Engineered Animal Models
VI. Liver
repopulation systems and study of pathophysiological mechanisms in
animals*
Sanjeev
Gupta1,2,3,4 and
Charles E.
Rogler1,2,4,5
1 Marion Bessin Liver Research Center,
2 Comprehensive Cancer Research Center,
3 General Clinical Research Center,
4 Department of Medicine, and 5 Department of
Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York 10461
The ability to localize transplanted
hepatocytes in the liver offers exciting new opportunities.
Transplanted hepatocytes enter liver plates, form hybrid plasma
membrane structures with adjacent hepatocytes, express liver genes
correctly, and survive indefinitely. The transplanted cell mass is
regulated, such that cell proliferation is limited in the normal adult
liver, whereas the liver is repopulated extensively when proliferation
rates in transplanted and host hepatocytes become dissociated or host hepatocytes are ablated selectively. Transplanted hepatocytes are
susceptible to hepatitis viruses. These aspects of transplanted hepatocyte biology indicate that liver repopulation systems can help
address questions concerning pathophysiological mechanisms.
hepatocyte; transplantation; hepatitis B virus
*
Sixth in a series on invited articles on Lessons From
Genetically Engineered Animal Models.
