Regenerating Liver: Isolation of Up- and Down-Regulated Gene Products

Abstract

Ageing is associated with a general loss of regenerative capacity in vertebrates. Among the few exceptions is the liver, which preserves a considerable regenerating ability. The regenerative process, i.e. the restoration of functional mass after e.g. liver injury or fulminant hepatitis, has drawn the attention of several well established laboratories in the last decade, but remains a poorly understood phenomenon, studies by Fausto et al. (1989), Michalopoulos (1990) and Mohn et al. (1991) and Haber et al. (1983). Among the identified factors are humeral factors, such as circulating hormones, growth factors and nervous input, see e.g Michalopoulos (1990) and Haber et al. (1993). However the list is still incomplete.