Cell Competition Leads to a High Level of Normal Liver Reconstitution by Transplanted Fetal Liver Stem/Progenitor Cells

Bmi1promotes hepatic stem cell expansion and tumorigenicity in bothInk4a/Arf-dependent and -independent manners in Mice

“…16,17 These findings suggest that Alb þ CK7 þ cells, which have the capacity to give rise to both Alb þ CK7 À and Alb À Ck7 þ progenies, function as hepatic stem/progenitor cells. Therefore, the quantification of Alb þ CK7 þ impotent cells is one of the approaches to evaluate the content of hepatic stem/progenitor cells, although not all Alb þ CK7 þ cells necessarily have the capacity for bipotential differentiation.…”

Mechanisms and mechanics of cell competition in epithelia

“…Cell competition caused by a growth differential has been best-characterized in Drosophila melanogaster, but it has been reported in mammals as well [2][3][4] . For example, when rapidly proliferating fetal rat liver cells were injected into adult rats after two-thirds of the liver had been resected by hepatectomy, they colonized a disproportionally large part of the regenerating liver and, importantly, they triggered apoptosis among adjacent host cells 3 . Although the significance of cell competition is still under intense debate, it probably contributes to tissue homeostasis.…”

Comparison of hepatic properties and transplantation of Thy-1+and Thy-1−cells isolated from embryonic day 14 rat fetal liver

“…In normal liver, only stem or stem/progenitor cells effectively repopulate the liver. 29,30 However, in retrorsine/PH-treated rats, all cells with hepatocytic potential (mature hepatocytes, unipotent hepatocyte progenitor cells, and bipotent stem/progenitor cells) can repopulate the liver. 29 In the present study, the Thy-1 ϩ cell fraction did not repopulate the normal liver but did repopulate the retrorsine/PH-treated liver, whereas Thy-1 Ϫ cells repopulated both models.…”

“…[28][29][30] There is evidence that Thy-1 ϩ oval cells are in developing fetal liver, 31,32 and therefore, it was of much interest to further characterize these cells and determine whether they represent a potential source for cell-based therapies. In the present study, we isolated Thy-1 ϩ and Thy-1 Ϫ cell populations from rat ED14 fetal liver, characterized these cells in vitro, and compared their ability to repopulate a normal host liver.…”