Expression of progranulin during the first stages of liver development in rat Fischer 344

Abstract

Transplants are the only effective therapy for the treatment of advanced liver diseases such as cirrhosis. Given the limited number of organ donors, regenerative medicine has sought for sources of cells and tissues for replacement therapy. Embryonic stem cells are a promising source of material for transplantation because of their exclusive property of being expanded indefinitely in culture, thus, they are a source of replacement tissue. Moreover, they are capable of differentiating into practically all cell types, and may be utilized in replacement therapy in various diseases. The liver bud has bipotent stem cells that have not yet differentiated into hepatocytes or biliary duct cells; however, they have great potential of proliferation and differentiation. Thus, the challenge is to identify methods that promote their differentiation in specific and functional strains. This study aimed to evaluate the role of the progranulin growth factor PGRN during the liver development of rats F344, since this growth factor could be utilized in protocols of differentiation of stem cells of the liver bud in functional hepatocytes. The results showed that PGRN is present during different periods of hepatogenesis in F344 rats, and that this growth factor should be involved in the process of differentiation of hepatoblasts into hepatocytes after activation by HNF4α , however, PGRN seems not to exert a cellular proliferation function during the hepatogenesis. Thus, PGRN can be used in future protocols of liver cell differentiation directed toward cellular therapy in Regenerative Medicine.