Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Biliary differentiation and bile duct morphogenesis in development and disease

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 43; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.biocel.2009.07.020

1878-5875

Peggy Raynaud, Rodolphe Carpentier, Aline Antoniou, Frédéric P. Lemaigre,

Liver physiology and pathology

The biliary tract consists of a network of intrahepatic and extrahepatic ducts that collect and drain the bile produced by hepatocytes to the gut. The bile ducts are lined by cholangiocytes, a specialized epithelial cell type that has a dual origin. Intrahepatic cholangiocytes derive from the liver precursor cells, whereas extrahepatic cholangiocytes are generated directly from the endoderm. In this review we discuss the mechanisms of cholangiocyte differentiation and bile duct morphogenesis, and describe how developing ducts interact with the hepatic artery. We also present an overview of the mechanisms of biliary dysgenesis in humans.