Aberrant expression of claudin-4 and-7 in hepatocytes in the cirrhotic human liver

作者：Tsujiwaki Mitsuhiro; Murata Masaki^*; Takasawa Akira; Hiratsuka Yutaro; Fukuda Rieko; Sugimoto Kotaro; Ono Yusuke; Nojima Masanori; Tanaka Satoshi; Hirata Koichi; Kojima Takashi; Sawada Norimasa

来源：Medical Molecular Morphology, 2015, 48(1): 33-43.

DOI：10.1007/s00795-014-0074-z

• Claudin-4
• Claudin-7
• Hepatocyte
• Hepatitis
• Cirrhosis

The liver comprises hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells such as bile duct epithelial cells. Claudin-4 and -7 are not expressed in hepatocytes under physiological conditions. It was reported that claudin-7 increased in human pulmonary fibroses. We therefore investigated claudin-4 and -7 expressions in human cirrhotic livers, in which hepatocyte proliferation is severely delayed. We examined liver tissues from 50 patients with liver tumors. The expression of claudin-4 and -7 in hepatocytes significantly increased with the grade of fibrosis, not with inflammatory activity, in the liver tissues of chronic hepatitis. The number of claudin-4- and -7-positive cells observed was greater than that of alpha-fetoprotein-positive hepatic progenitor cells. In primary cultures of mouse hepatocytes, the expression of claudin-4 and -7 was not induced by treatment with proinflammatory cytokines. In immunohistochemical analysis of liver tissues of 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine-treated mice and primary cultures of mouse hepatocytes, the expression of claudin-4 and -7 increased with proliferation of progenitor cells. However, the claudin-4- and -7-positive cells were not always progenitor cells. Thus, claudin-4 and -7 were observed in hepatocytes of severely damaged mouse and human livers. These findings suggest that claudin-4- and -7-positive hepatocytes may exist during the process of differentiation from progenitor cells into mature hepatocytes.

• 出版日期2015-3
• 单位河北医科大学