{"title":"The Conundrum of the Pericentral Hepatic Niche: WNT/-Catenin Signaling, Metabolic Zonation, and Many Open Questions.","authors":"Jan S Tchorz","doi":"10.3727/105221620X16007982788168","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>WNT/-catenin signaling promotes stemness, proliferation, and cell fate decisions in various tissue stem cell compartments, which maintain organs with a high turnover of cells (e.g., skin, stomach, and gut). Thus, the -catenin target genes AXIN2 and LGR5 are widely considered as tissue stem cell markers. In contrast, AXIN2 and LGR5 are expressed in pericentral hepatocytes, which do not show overt proliferation during liver homeostasis. Given the low hepatocyte turnover, the liver does not require constant high rates of proliferation, whereas WNT/-catenin signaling is critical for metabolic zonation. Yet, WNT/-catenin pathway upregulation, including AXIN2 and LGR5 induction in hepatocytes throughout the liver, enables hepatocyte regeneration in response to various injuries. In this brief review, I discuss the role of WNT/-catenin signaling in controlling metabolic zonation and the conundrum around pericentral hepatocytes that have been proposed as liver stem cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":12502,"journal":{"name":"Gene expression","volume":"20 2","pages":"119-124"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2020-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3727/105221620X16007982788168","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Gene expression","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3727/105221620X16007982788168","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2020/9/22 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
WNT/-catenin signaling promotes stemness, proliferation, and cell fate decisions in various tissue stem cell compartments, which maintain organs with a high turnover of cells (e.g., skin, stomach, and gut). Thus, the -catenin target genes AXIN2 and LGR5 are widely considered as tissue stem cell markers. In contrast, AXIN2 and LGR5 are expressed in pericentral hepatocytes, which do not show overt proliferation during liver homeostasis. Given the low hepatocyte turnover, the liver does not require constant high rates of proliferation, whereas WNT/-catenin signaling is critical for metabolic zonation. Yet, WNT/-catenin pathway upregulation, including AXIN2 and LGR5 induction in hepatocytes throughout the liver, enables hepatocyte regeneration in response to various injuries. In this brief review, I discuss the role of WNT/-catenin signaling in controlling metabolic zonation and the conundrum around pericentral hepatocytes that have been proposed as liver stem cells.
期刊介绍：
Gene Expression, The Journal of Liver Research will publish articles in all aspects of hepatology. Hepatology, as a research discipline, has seen unprecedented growth especially in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of hepatic health and disease, which continues to have a major impact on understanding liver development, stem cells, carcinogenesis, tissue engineering, injury, repair, regeneration, immunology, metabolism, fibrosis, and transplantation. Continued research and improved understanding in these areas will have a meaningful impact on liver disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The existing journal Gene Expression has expanded its focus to become Gene Expression, The Journal of Liver Research to meet this growing demand. In its revised and expanded scope, the journal will publish high-impact original articles, reviews, short but complete articles, and special articles (editorials, commentaries, opinions) on all aspects of hepatology, making it a unique and invaluable resource for readers interested in this field. The expanded team, led by an Editor-in-Chief who is uniquely qualified and a renowned expert, along with a dynamic and functional editorial board, is determined to make this a premier journal in the field of hepatology.
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