Medline ® Abstract for Reference 83
of 'Pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis'
83
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Bone marrow-derived fibrocytes participate in pathogenesis of liver fibrosis.
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Kisseleva T, Uchinami H, Feirt N, Quintana-Bustamante O, Segovia JC, Schwabe RF, Brenner DA
SO
J Hepatol. 2006;45(3):429.
BACKGROUND/AIMS:
Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a key role in hepatic fibrogenesis. However, their origin is still unknown. We tested the hypothesis that bone marrow (BM) contributes to the population of HSCs.
METHODS:
Chimeric mice transplanted with donor BM from collagen alpha1(I)-GFP+ reporter mice were subjected to the bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced liver injury.
RESULTS:
In response to injury, BM-derived collagen-expressing GFP+ cells were detected in liver tissues of chimeric mice. However, these cells were not activated HSCs in that they did not express alpha-smooth muscle actin or desmin and could not be isolated with the HSC fraction. Meanwhile, the majority of these BM-derived cells co-expressed collagen-GFP+ and CD45+, suggesting that these cells represent a unique population of fibrocytes. Consistent with their lymphoid origin, the number of GFP+CD45+ fibrocytes found in BM and spleen of chimeric mice increased in response to injury. Fibrocytes cultured in the presence of TGF-beta1 differentiated into SMA+desmin+ collagen-producing myofibroblasts, potentially contributing to liver fibrosis.
CONCLUSIONS:
In response to the BDL-induced liver injury: (i) HSCs do not originate in the BM; (ii) collagen-producing fibrocytes are recruited from the BM to damaged liver.
AD
Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. tk335@columbia.edu
PMID