PLoS ONE (Jan 2015)

Brain isoform glycogen phosphorylase as a novel hepatic progenitor cell marker.

  • Yu-Wen Huang,
  • Chien-Chang Chiu,
  • Ja-Der Liang,
  • Ling-Ling Chiou,
  • Guan-Tarn Huang,
  • Ming-Jiun Yu,
  • Hsuan-Shu Lee

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122528
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 3
p. e0122528

Abstract

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An appropriate liver-specific progenitor cell marker is a stepping stone in liver regenerative medicine. Here, we report brain isoform glycogen phosphorylase (GPBB) as a novel liver progenitor cell marker. GPBB was identified in a protein complex precipitated by a monoclonal antibody Ligab generated from a rat liver progenitor cell line Lig-8. Immunoblotting results show that GPBB was expressed in two liver progenitor cell lines Lig-8 and WB-F344. The levels of GPBB expression decreased in the WB-F344 cells under sodium butyrate (SB)-induced cell differentiation, consistent with roles of GPBB as a liver progenitor cell marker. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated GPBB knockdown followed by glucose deprivation test shows that GPBB aids in liver progenitor cell survival under low glucose conditions. Furthermore, shRNA-mediated GPBB knockdown followed by SB-induced cell differentiation shows that reducing GPBB expression delayed liver progenitor cell differentiation. We conclude that GPBB is a novel liver progenitor cell marker, which facilitates liver progenitor cell survival under low glucose conditions and cell differentiation.