Scanning electron microscopy of normal rat liver: the surface structure of its cells and tissue components.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allows the surface ultrastructure of intrahepatic cells and other tissue components of liver to be delineated. Excellent depth of focus of the SEM makes it possible to visualize surfaces of intact cells in their native configurations. This report details the surface characteristics and inter-relationships of hepatocytes and hepatic plates, sinusoidal endothelial cells and sinusoids, presumed Kupffer cells, vessels, bile ducts, connective tissue, and the capsule of rat liver. Hepatocytes present three structurally distinctive faces--the intercellular face containing flat surfaces and bile canaliculus, the sinusoidal face, and the connective tissue face which abuts portal tracts and hepatic veins. Sinusoidal endothelium is penetrated by large (1 to 3 mum) and small (0.1 mum) fenestrae, the latter occurring in clusters of up to 50. The width of bile canaliculi and distribution of large fenestrae vary proximodistally along hepatic plate or sinusoid. The cells of portal bile ductules contain microvilli located in linear rows and sparse cilia. Endothelium of hepatic artery and of portal vein is sparsely fenestrated.     

Fine structure of the liver in the larval lamprey, Petromyzon marinus L.; hepatocytes and sinusoids

The ultrastructure of hepatocytes, bile canaliculi, and hepatic sinusoids of the larval lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, was examined using thin-sectioned and freeze-fractured tissues. The liver is a "tubular gland" with hepatocytes arranged in a tubular fashion around large bile canaliculi. Hepatocytes are roughly conical in shape, with their tapered apices facing a bile canalicular lumen. They possess extensive rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, a well-developed Golgi complex, abundant mitochondria, and varying numbers of large secondary lysosomes. Both secondary lysosomes and the Golgi complex are concentrated in the apical or peribiliary cytoplasm, indicating a possible role in bile secretion. The apical surfaces of the hepatocytes bear numerous elongate microvilli and occasional cilia, which project into the bile canaliculi. The hepatocytes are joined, apically, by junctional complexes composed of zonulae occludentes and adhaerentes. In freeze-fracture, the zonulae occludentes are of variable apicobasal depth and consist of honeycomb-like meshworks of fibrils. Spaces of variable width frequently appear in the P-face grooves, indicating that the zonulae occludentes are "leaky." Numerous communicating (gap) junctions join the hepatocytes laterally. Varying numbers of lateral microvilli project into the intercellular spaces and, basally, the plasma membrane is deeply infolded, resulting in the formation of apparently interdigitating basal processes resting upon a thin basal lamina. Sinusoids are composed of both a heavily-fenestrated, continuous endothelium, and phagocytic reticulo-endothelial (Kupffer) cells. Depsite the difference in arrangement of their hepatocytes, the mammalian and lamprey livers show similar ultrastructural features.     

Development of liver microtissues with functional biliary ductular network

Liver tissue engineering aims to create transplantable liver grafts that can serve as substitutes for donor's livers. One major challenge in creating a fully functional liver tissue has been to recreate the biliary drainage in an engineered liver construct through integration of bile canaliculi (BC) with the biliary ductular network that would enable the clearance of bile from the hepatocytes to the host duodenum. In this study, we show the formation of such a hepatic microtissue by coculturing rat primary hepatocytes with cholangiocytes and stromal cells. Our results indicate that within the spheroids, hepatocytes maintained viability and function for up to 7 days. Viable hepatocytes became polarized by forming BC with the presence of tight junctions. Morphologically, hepatocytes formed the core of the spheroids, while cholangiocytes resided at the periphery forming a monolayer microcysts and tubular structures extending outward. The spheroids were subsequently cultured in clusters to create a higher order ductular network resembling hepatic lobule. The cholangiocytes formed functional biliary ductular channels in between hepatic spheroids that were able to collect, transport, and secrete bile. Our results constitute the first step to recreate hepatic building blocks with biliary drainage for repopulating the whole liver scaffolds to be used as transplantable liver grafts.     

Bone marrow transplantation results in donor-derived hepatocytes in an animal model of inherited cholestatic liver disease

Cell transplantation is a potential therapy for acquired or inherited liver diseases. Donor-derived hepatocytes (DDH) have been found in humans and mice after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) but with highly variable frequencies in different disease models. To test the effect of liver repopulation after BMT in inherited cholestatic liver diseases, spgp (sister of P-glycoprotein, or bile salt export pump, abcb11) knockout mice, a model for human progressive intrahepatic cholestasis type 2 with defects in excreting bile salts across the hepatocyte canalicular membrane, were transplanted with bone marrow cells from enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic donor mice after lethal irradiation. One to 6 months later, scattered EGFP-positive DDHs with positive spgp staining were observed in the liver. These hepatocytes had been incorporated into hepatic plates and stained positively with hepatocyte-specific marker albumin. RT-PCR for the spgp gene revealed positive expression in the liver of sgsp knockout mice that had received the transplant. Bile acid analysis of bile samples showed that these mice also had higher levels of total biliary bile acid and taurocholic acid concentration than knockout mice without transplantation, indicating that BMT partially improved biliary bile acid secretion. Our results indicate that bone marrow cells could serve as a potential source for restoration of hepatic functions in chronic metabolic liver disease.     

Temporal changes in the expression and distribution of adhesion molecules during liver development and regeneration

We have compared by immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting the expression and distribution of adhesion molecules participating in cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions during embryonic development and regeneration of rat liver. Fibronectin and the fibronectin receptor, integrin alpha 5 beta 1, were distributed pericellularly and expressed at a steady level during development from the 16th day of gestation and in neonate and adult liver. AGp110, a nonintegrin fibronectin receptor was first detected on the 17th day of gestation in a similar, nonpolarized distribution on parenchymal cell surfaces. At that stage of development haemopoiesis is at a peak in rat liver and fibronectin and receptors alpha 5 beta 1 and AGp110 were prominent on the surface of blood cell precursors. During the last 2 d of gestation (20th and 21st day) hepatocytes assembled around lumina. AGp110 was initially depolarized on the surface of these acinar cells but then confined to the lumen and to newly-formed bile canaliculi. At birth, a marked increase occurred in the canalicular expression of AGp110 and in the branching of the canalicular network. Simultaneously, there was enhanced expression of ZO-1, a protein component of tight junctions. On the second day postpartum, presence of AGp110 and of protein constituents of desmosomes and intermediate junctions, DGI and E-cadherin, respectively, was notably enhanced in cellular fractions insoluble in nonionic detergents, presumably signifying linkage of AGp110 with the cytoskeleton and assembly of desmosomal and intermediate junctions. During liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, AGp110 remained confined to apical surfaces, indicating a preservation of basic polarity in parenchymal cells. A decrease in the extent and continuity of the canalicular network occurred in proliferating parenchyma, starting 24 h after resection in areas close to the terminal afferent blood supply of portal veins and spreading to the rest of the liver within the next 24 h. Distinct acinar structures, similar to the ones in prenatal liver, appeared at 72 h after hepatectomy. Restoration of the normal branching of the biliary tree commenced at 72 h. At 7 d postoperatively acinar formation declined and one-cell-thick hepatic plates, as in normal liver, were observed.     

鳗鲡肝脏、脾脏显微与超微结构

经光镜和电镜观察发现：鳗鲡肝脏的肝小叶不规则。肝细胞胞质内富含多种细胞器及包含物。胆小管由２—４个肝细胞围成，相邻肝细胞间有连接复合体封闭胆小管。肝血窦为有孔型、孔处无隔膜，内有巨噬细胞。窦周隙明显，未见贮脂细胞。肝细胞向胆小管腔与窦周隙面伸出许多指状微绒毛。脾脏内白髓中淋巴细胞聚集成群，未见明显脾小结、淋巴鞘。红髓由脾索与脾窦组成，动脉分支末端（壁厚的毛细血管）可开放于红髓，无明显巨噬细胞中心。脾窦及脾小动脉内皮细胞通常为长杆状、沿血管纵向平行排列。脾窦为有孔型，孔处可见薄的隔膜。脾小动脉内皮外为２—５层平滑肌（多数为纵行）。     

Contribution of Mature Hepatocytes to Biliary Regeneration in Rats with Acute and Chronic Biliary Injury

Whether hepatocytes can convert into biliary epithelial cells (BECs) during biliary injury is much debated. To test this concept, we traced the fate of genetically labeled [dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV)-positive] hepatocytes in hepatocyte transplantation model following acute hepato-biliary injury induced by 4,4’-methylene-dianiline (DAPM) and D-galactosamine (DAPM+D-gal) and in DPPIV-chimeric liver model subjected to acute (DAPM+D-gal) or chronic biliary injury caused by DAPM and bile duct ligation (DAPM+BDL). In both models before biliary injury, BECs are uniformly DPPIV-deficient and proliferation of DPPIV-deficient hepatocytes is restricted by retrorsine. We found that mature hepatocytes underwent a stepwise conversion into BECs after biliary injury. In the hepatocyte transplantation model, DPPIV-positive hepatocytes entrapped periportally proliferated, and formed two-layered plates along portal veins. Within the two-layered plates, the hepatocytes gradually lost their hepatocytic identity, proceeded through an intermediate state, acquired a biliary phenotype, and subsequently formed bile ducts along the hilum-to-periphery axis. In DPPIV-chimeric liver model, periportal hepatocytes expressing hepatocyte nuclear factor-1β (HNF-1β) were exclusively DPPIV-positive and were in continuity to DPPIV-positives bile ducts. Inhibition of hepatocyte proliferation by additional doses of retrorsine in DPPIV-chimeric livers prevented the appearance of DPPIV-positive BECs after biliary injury. Moreover, enriched DPPIV-positive BEC/hepatic oval cell transplantation produced DPPIV-positive BECs or bile ducts in unexpectedly low frequency and in mid-lobular regions. These results together suggest that mature hepatocytes but not contaminating BECs/hepatic oval cells are the sources of periportal DPPIV-positive BECs. We conclude that mature hepatocytes contribute to biliary regeneration in the environment of acute and chronic biliary injury through a ductal plate configuration without the need of exogenously genetic or epigenetic manipulation.     

The autonomic innervation of the liver and gallbladder of Podarcis hispanica

The innervation of the liver and gallbladder of the lizard Podarcis hispanica has been studied by the following methods: a) demonstration of cholinesterase activity; b) FIF method for catecholamines; and c) immunohistochemistry for VIP. The hepatic parenchyma of the reptile's liver show hepatocytes arranged in regular rows of hepatic cords, the portal triad being typical of higher vertebrates (birds and mammals). Nerve fibers are found in the scarce connective tissue distributed among the hepatocytes. The innervation is restricted to the big branches of blood vessels and biliary ducts. It is represented by cholinergic, noradrenergic and VIPergic fibers. The gallbladder shows a well developed cholinergic plexus with pyramidal cells in the interconnection points of the fiber network. The noradrenergic and VIPergic plexuses are also more widely distributed in the gallbladder than in the liver.     

Selective and organotypic culture of intrahepatic bile duct cells from adult pig liver

Summary Secondary culture of nontransformed bile duct epithelium has been difficult to achieve. STO feeder cell-dependent secondary cultures of adult pig bile duct cells were established from primary cultures of adult pig liver cells. Adult pig hepatocytes exhibited limited or no replication and were lost from the secondary culture at Passage 3 or 4. In contrast, adult pig bile duct cells replicated and were carried for 4–8 passages in secondary culture. A simple method to produce nearly pure pig intrahepatic bile duct cultures was first to freeze a relatively crude liver cell preparation. Upon subsequent thawing, all hepatocytes and most macrophages were lysed. Bile duct cells composed 95% of the surviving cells after the freeze/thaw, and they grew out rapidly. The bile duct cells grew on top of the STO feeder cells as closely knit epithelial, colonial outgrowths. Histocytochemical and biochemical analyses demonstrated high levels of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity and low levels of P450 activity in the bile duct cultures. The bile duct cells spontaneously adopted a multicellular ductal morphology after 7–10 d in static culture which was similar to that found in in vivo pig liver. Transmission electron microscopic examination revealed complex junctions and desmosomes typical of epithelium, and lumenally projecting cilia typical of in vivo intrahepatic bile ductules. This simple method for the coculture of pig intrahepatic bile duct cells which adopt in vivo-like structure may facilitate biological studies of this important, but difficult to culture, cell type.     

Mouse liver cell culture. I. Hepatocyte isolation

A method for isolation of mouse liver cells by a two-step perfusion with calcium and magnesium-free Hanks' salt solution followed by a medium containing collagenase is described. Several variations of the commonly used procedure for rat liver cell isolation were quantitatively compared with respect to cell yield and viability. The optimal isolation technique involved perfusion through the hepatic portal vein and routinely produced an average of 2.3 x 10(6) viable liver cells/g body weight. Optimal perfusate collagenase concentration was found to be 100 U of enzyme activity per milliliter of perfusate. Light and electron microscopic evaluation of liver morphology after several steps of the isolation showed distinct morphologic changes in hepatocytes and other liver cells during perfusion. After perfusion with Hanks' calcium- and magnesium-free solution, many hepatocytes exhibited early reversible cell injury. These changes included vesiculation and slight swelling of the endoplasmic reticulum as well as mitochondrial matrix condensation. Subsequent to perfusion with collagenase, the majority of hepatocytes appeared connected to one another only by tight junctional complexes at the bile canaliculi. Multiple evaginations were seen on the outer membrane resembling microville and probably represented the remains of cell-to-cell interdigitations between hepatocytes and sinusoidal lining cells from the space of Disse. The cytoplasmic injury seen after Hanks' perfusion was reversed after collagenase perfusion. After mechanical dispersion, isolated mouse hepatocytes were spherical in shape and existed as individual cells; many (80 to 85%) were binucleated under hase contrast light microscopy. By electron microscopy, cells appeared morphologically similar in cytoplasmic constitution to that seen in intact nonaltered liver cells.     

Morphology of the green livers in upstream migrants of Petromyzon marinus L.

A morphological comparison was made of the green livers of male and female lampreys (Petromyzon marinus L.) collected during the upstream (prespawning) migration. Light and electron microscope histochemistry for iron, and both thin sections and freeze-fracture replicas in the electron microscope, revealed some sexual dimorphism in these livers. Ferric iron is much more abundant in the liver of females and is present in the cytoplasmic matrix, in dense bodies, and in vacuoles of hepatocytes. The numerous vacuoles of females may be the deposition site of biliverdin and other bile components that would account for the darker green coloration of the liver compared to males. Hepatocytes in females are also characterized by prominent rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus that reflect the involvement of the cells in vitellogenesis. The presence of numerous lipid droplets in the hepatocytes of males indicates that the liver is an important storage site for fat. The lipid droplets are associated with electron-dense deposits of unknown nature. Large gap junctions typify the parenchymal cells of both male and female livers. Perisinusoidal and sinusoidal cells are similar to those in the nonparenchymal region in other vertebrate livers, namely, endothelial and Kupffer cells, lipocytes (Ito), and some granulated cells. The relationship of lipocytes to fibrous tissue and fibrogenesis is discussed.     

Rapid and enhanced repolarization in sandwich-cultured hepatocytes on an oxygen-permeable membrane

In this study, we established rat primary hepatocyte sandwich cultures on oxygen-permeable membranes and investigated the change in their repolarization. Functional bile canaliculi in sandwich-cultured hepatocytes on oxygen-permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes were re-established more quickly than those in a conventional sandwich culture on polystyrene (PS). This enhanced biliary excretory activity was also observed in hepatocytes on another oxygen-permeable membrane plate but not on a PDMS surface whose oxygen permeability is blocked. An apical efflux transporter protein, Mrp2, was more rapidly distributed in hepatocytes cultured on PDMS membranes than in hepatocytes cultured on conventional PS plates. Moreover, the area of distribution of the Mrp2 in polarized hepatocytes cultured on PDMS membranes was more widespread than that for the hepatocytes grown on sandwich-cultured PS plates. The observation of ultrastructure in transmission electron microscopy clearly confirmed the presence of bile canalicular lumens possessing microvilli and tight junctions. Additionally, we demonstrated that the 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylation activity of hepatocytes on PDMS membranes was also improved as compared to those on a PS surface. Therefore, sandwich-cultured hepatocytes on oxygen-permeable substrates can provide a simple tool for predicting the hepatic metabolism and toxicity of xenobiotics in vivo with short span and low cost in the course of drug discovery and evaluation.     

The histology and ultrastructure of the liver of Atlantic croaker Micropogon undulatus L.

Atlantic croaker, Micropogon undulatus L., were sampled from an estuary and selected offshore sites in the Gulf of Mexico. Liver samples were collected for light and transmission electron microscopy. Histologically, the Atlantic croaker liver parenchyma was arranged in tubular units. The tubules were similar to those of the primitive marine hagfish but contained unique features such as a central sinusoid and intercellular bile canaliculi. This liver structure may represent an evolutionary step from the primitive tubular hagfish liver to the muralium pattern of higher vertebrates. Pigments which may have occurred from disturbances in the normal oxidative pathways of hepatic lipids were also present in the liver.     

Structure,Regulation and Function of Gap Junctions in Liver

Abstract

Gap junctions are a specialized group of cell-to-cell junctions that mediate direct intercellular communication between cells. They arise from the interaction of two hemichannels of adjacent cells, which in turn are composed of six connexin proteins. In liver, gap junctions are predominantly found in hepatocytes and play critical roles in virtually all phases of the hepatic life cycle, including cell growth, differentiation, liver-specific functionality and cell death. Liver gap junctions are directed through a broad variety of mechanisms ranging from epigenetic control of connexin expression to post-translational regulation of gap junction activity. This paper reviews established and novel aspects regarding the architecture, control and functional relevance of liver gap junctions.     

The differentiation of oval cells into hepatocytes during induced hepatic carcinogenesis in mice. An electron microscopic study

An electron microscopic study of murine oval cells, induced by a single injection of genotoxic agent dipin and by a partial hepatectomy, has shown that their ultrastructure and direction of differentiation depend on localization in the liver lobule. Oval cells around portal tracts go through three stages of development: low differentiated cells 4.40 +/- 0.51 mu in diameter with ovoid nuclei 3.43 +/- 0.44 mu, intermediate cells, and young hepatocytes. They form common ducts surrounded by a basal lamina, and produce bile canaliculi-like structures and intermediate junctions between them. Another part of the oval cell population is organized similar to the bile duct epithelium. It consists of cells 9.37 +/- 1.1 mu in diameter with nuclei 7.28 +/- 1.16 mu in diameter and form a system of branching and anastomosing ducts widespread along the parenchyma from the portal to the central veins. Our data indicate that the oval cells can differentiate into hepatocytes, and support a hypothesis according to which the cells of terminal bile ductules are liver epithelial stem cells which can differentiate into a hepatocyte or a bile duct cell lineage in periportal microenvironment.     

中国大鲵肝脏的超微结构

应用透射电镜对中国大鲵的肝脏进行了超微结构研究.观察表明,大鲵肝不具肝小叶,与其他脊椎动物有所不同.肝细胞含有单个卵圆形的核;细胞质内含有粗面内质网、高尔基囊泡、线粒体、糖原颗粒和脂滴等细胞器和内含物.胆小管由两个相邻肝细胞质膜凹陷围成,而肝血窦则由内皮细胞的胞质构成.胆小管腔和窦周隙内浸润许多由肝细胞发出的微绒毛结构.还发现了枯否氏细胞和贮脂细胞.还讨论了中国大鲵肝脏的一般形态结构特点.     

Actin-related intercellular adhesion junctions in the germinal compartment of the testis in the hagfish (Eptatretus stouti) and lamprey (Lampetra tridentatus)

The germinal epithelium of male vertebrates consists of Sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells. Intercellular junctions formed by Sertoli cells assume critical roles in the normal functions of this epithelium. While Sertoli cell junctions have been well characterized in mammals, similar junctions in nonmammalian vertebrates have received little attention. We examined the intercellular junctions found within the germinal epithelium of the hagfish (Eptatretus stouti) and lamprey (Lampetra tridentatus). Ultrastructurally, Sertoli cells were seen to form filament-associated junctions in both species. Adjacent Sertoli cells formed microfilament-related junctions near their apices. Filaments of these junctions were arranged in loose networks and were not associated with cisterns of endoplasmic reticulum. In fixed, frozen sections of hagfish testis, similar areas labeled with rhodamine phalloidin, indicating the filament type is actin. In the lamprey, desmosomes were observed immediately below the microfilament-related junctions. In appearance and location, the Sertoli cell junctions observed in these species resembled those of the typical junctional complex of other epithelial cell types. No junctions were observed between Sertoli cells and elongating spermatids. In the hagfish, but not the lamprey, an additional zone of microfilaments occurred near the base of Sertoli cells in areas of association with the basal lamina. Our observations are consistent with the proposal that the unique forms of intercellular attachment found in the testes of higher vertebrates evolved from a typical epithelial form of intercellular junction.     

PECAM-1 (CD31) regulates a hydrogen peroxide-activated nonselective cation channel in endothelial cells

Using flow cytometry and single cell-based assays, we prospectively identified hepatic stem cells with multilineage differentiation potential and self-renewing capability. These cells could be clonally propagated in culture where they continuously produced hepatocytes and cholangiocytes as descendants while maintaining primitive stem cells. When cells that expanded in vitro were transplanted into recipient animals, they morphologically and functionally differentiated into hepatocytes and cholangiocytes with reconstitution of hepatocyte and bile duct structures. Furthermore, these cells differentiated into pancreatic ductal and acinar cells or intestinal epithelial cells when transplanted into pancreas or duodenal wall. These data indicate that self-renewing pluripotent stem cells persist in the developing mouse liver and that such cells can be induced to become cells of other organs of endodermal origin under appropriate microenvironment. Manipulation of hepatic stem cells may provide new insight into therapies for diseases of the digestive system.     

Cell transplantation causes loss of gap junctions and activates GGT expression permanently in host liver

Cell transplantation into hepatic sinusoids, which is necessary for liver repopulation, could cause hepatic ischemia. To examine the effects of cell transplantation on host hepatocytes, we transplanted Fisher 344 rat hepatocytes into syngeneic dipeptidyl peptidase IV-deficient rats. Within 24 h of cell transplantation, areas of ischemic necrosis, along with transient disruption of gap junctions, appeared in the liver. Moreover, host hepatocytes expressed gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) extensively, which was observed even 2 years after cell transplantation. GGT expression was not associated with alpha-fetoprotein activation, which is present in progenitor cells. Increased GGT expression was apparent after transplantation of nonparenchymal cells and latex beads but not after injection of saline, fragmented hepatocytes, hepatocyte growth factor, or turpentine. Some host hepatocytes exhibited apoptosis, as well as DNA synthesis, between 24 and 48 h after cell transplantation. Changes in gap junctions, GGT expression, DNA synthesis, and apoptosis after cell transplantation were prevented by vasodilators. The findings indicated the onset of ischemic liver injury after cell transplantation. These hepatic perturbations must be considered when transplanted cells are utilized as reporters for biological studies.