Epithelial Plasticity during Liver Injury and Regeneration

Abstract

Following injury, the liver's epithelial cells regenerate efficiently with rapid proliferation of hepatocytes and biliary cells. However, when proliferation of resident epithelial cells is impaired, alternative regeneration mechanisms can occur. Intricate lineage-tracing strategies and experimental models of regenerative stress have revealed a degree of plasticity between hepatocytes and biliary cells. New technologies such as single-cell omics, in combination with functional studies, will be instrumental to uncover the remaining unknowns in the field. In this review, we evaluate the experimental and clinical evidence for epithelial plasticity in the liver and how this influences the development of therapeutic strategies for chronic liver disease.

Keywords: biliary epithelial cell; cell therapy; hepatic progenitor cell; hepatocyte; lineage-tracing; liver regeneration; plasticity; reprogramming; transdifferentiation.