Role of Developmental Morphogens in Liver Regeneration

Hedgehog is a morphogen that regulates tissue patterning during development. In the fetal liver, the Hedgehog pathway is active in progenitor cells, arresting such cells in an immature phenotype. Hence, the pathway must be inhibited for progenitors to differentiate into more mature epithelial-type cells. In the normal liver, the Hedgehog pathway is dormant, but it reactivates during liver regeneration and during a wound-healing response elicited by chronic liver injury. Because of its crucial role in the physiological processes that occur after liver injury or when liver mass is lost, the Hedgehog pathway is a strong candidate target for treatment of liver disease. In this chapter, we will describe the Hedgehog pathway and its regulation, as well as the evidence demonstrating its major role in liver regeneration.

Duke Scholars

Author Anna Mae Diehl Medicine, Gastroenterology