Cellular plasticity in liver regeneration - spotlight on cholangiocytes.

The liver's remarkable capacity to self-repair and regenerate following tissue injury has been recognised since the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus. However the diverse potential sources of this regenerative capacity have been an area of hot debate and only recently have studies started to unravel the actual degree of hepatic cell plasticity. The article by Deng X, Zhang X, Li W et al. Chronic liver injury induces conversion of biliary epithelial cells into hepatocytes. Cell Stem Cell 2018; 23:114-122 established through lineage tracing experiments using a double-fluorescent reporter system that biliary epithelial cells significantly contributed to hepatocyte regeneration in two murine chronic liver injury models. Furthermore, during the cholangiocyte-to-hepatocyte conversion, bi-phenotypic cells were identified in both mouse models as well as in human cirrhotic livers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.