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The dynamic biliary epithelia: Molecules, pathways, and disease

Journal

JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
Volume 58, Issue 3, Pages 575-582

Publisher

ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2012.10.011

Keywords

Cholangiocytes; Cholangiopathy; Biliary; Reactivity; Repair

Funding

  1. NIH [R01 DK057993, DK024031, R01 AI089713, P30DK084567]
  2. NIH Institutes of Health

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Cholangiocytes, the cells lining bile ducts, are a heterogenous, highly dynamic population of epithelial cells. While these cells comprise a small fraction of the total cellular component of the liver, they perform the essential role of bile modification and transport of biliary and blood constituents. From a pathophysiological standpoint, cholangiocytes are the target of a diverse group of biliary disorders, collectively referred to as the cholangiopathies. To date, the cause of most cholangiopathies remains obscure. It is known, however, that cholangiocytes exist in an environment rich in potential mediators of cellular injury, express receptors that recognize potential injurious insults, and participate in portal tract repair processes following hepatic injury. As such, cholangiocytes may not be only a passive target, but are likely directly and actively involved in the pathogenesis of cholangiopathies. Here, we briefly summarize the characteristics of the reactive cholangiocyte and cholangiocyte responses to potentially injurious endogenous and exogenous molecules, and in addition, present emerging concepts in our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of several cholangiopathies. (C) 2012 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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