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Hepatic stellate cells derived from the nestin-positive cells in septum transversum during rat liver development

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Abstract

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a principal role in Vitamin A metabolism and are considered the major matrix-producing cell type in the diseased liver. Rat HSCs are identified by immunohistochemistry with myogenic or mesenchymal (desmin, vimentin, and alpha-smooth muscle actin) or neural (e.g., GFAP or neuronal cell adhesion molecule) markers. Embryonic origin of rat HSCs was determined using these markers. Nestin, an intermediate filament protein originally identified in neuronal stem or progenitor cells, is widely used as a stem cell marker, including hepatic stem cells in adult rat livers. Additionally, nestin is reportedly expressed in activated HSCs during liver injury and hepatic regeneration. However, little is known about nestin expression in rat fetal liver HSCs. The present study aimed to clarify nestin-positive HSC expression during rat liver development. At embryonic day (ED) 10.5, nestin expression in mesenchymal cells adjacent to the liver bud was detected by immunohistochemistry. At ED 11.5, nestin-positive cells were also detected in desmin-positive cells appearing and increasing in intensity by ED 16.5. However, nestin-positive cells in the parenchyma decreased by ED 20.5 or later. These findings reveal that the nestin-positive HSCs during rat liver development originate from nestin-positive mesenchymal cells in the septum transversum.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Kochi University Hospital, 185-1 Kohasu, Okoh, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8505, Japan

    Makoto Toi & Ichiro Murakami

  2. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kochi University, Kohasu, Okoh, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8505, Japan

    Yoshihiro Hayashi & Ichiro Murakami

  3. Equipment of Support Planning Office, Kochi University, Kohasu, Okoh, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8505, Japan

    Yoshihiro Hayashi

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  1. Makoto Toi
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Correspondence to Ichiro Murakami.

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Toi, M., Hayashi, Y. & Murakami, I. Hepatic stellate cells derived from the nestin-positive cells in septum transversum during rat liver development. Med Mol Morphol 51, 199–207 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00795-018-0183-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00795-018-0183-1

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