Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Kordes, Claus
• Sawitza, Iris
• Müller-Marbach, Alexis
• Ale-Agha, Niloofar
• Keitel, Verena
• Klonowski-Stumpe, Hanne
• Häussinger, Dieter

Titel

CD133+ hepatic stellate cells are progenitor cells

Ist Teil von

• Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 2007-01, Vol.352 (2), p.410-417

Ort / Verlag

United States: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2007

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) play an important role in the development of liver fibrosis. Here, we report that HSC express the stem/progenitor cell marker CD133 and exhibit properties of progenitor cells. CD133+ HSC of rats were selected by specific antibodies and magnetic cell sorting. Selected cells displayed typical markers of HSC, endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), and monocytes. In cell culture, CD133+ HSC transformed into α-smooth muscle actin positive myofibroblast-like cells, whereas application of cytokines known to facilitate EPC differentiation into endothelial cells led to the formation of branched tube-like structures and induced expression of the endothelial cell markers endothelial nitric oxide synthase and vascular-endothelial cadherin. Moreover, cytokines that guide stem cells to develop hepatocytes led to the appearance of rotund cells and expression of the hepatocyte markers α-fetoprotein and albumin. It is concluded that CD133+ HSC are a not yet recognized progenitor cell compartment with characteristics of early EPC. Their potential to differentiate into endothelial or hepatocyte lineages suggests important functions of CD133+ HSC during liver regeneration.