The Liver Meeting 2019-Distributed Hepatocytes in Liver Homeostasis and Regeneration

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Stephen Artandi, director of the Stanford Cancer Institute, presented the Hans Popper lecture on hepatocytes and telomerase in liver biology. Telomeres, protective caps at the end of chromosomes, play a crucial role in cell division and aging. Telomerase is an enzyme that adds telomere repeats to chromosome ends, preventing DNA damage and promoting cell longevity. Mutations in telomerase-related genes can lead to tissue failures, including liver cirrhosis. Telomerase is implicated in cancer as well, with mutations in the TERT gene promoter found in various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Dr. Artandi's research identified a rare subset of TERT-high hepatocytes as progenitors responsible for liver renewal and regeneration, particularly in response to injury. The TERT-high cells contribute to liver homeostasis by forming clones of hepatocytes, while also showing increased proliferation and preferentially differentiating into metabolic "worker B" hepatocytes. Genetic ablation of TERT-high cells resulted in impaired liver regeneration and fibrosis. The study suggests a distributed model for liver renewal driven by TERT-high hepatocyte progenitors, possibly serving as the cell of origin for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Asset Caption

Presenter: Steven Artandi

Keywords

Stanford Cancer Institute

Hans Popper lecture

hepatocytes

telomerase

telomeres

liver biology

TERT gene