Liver developmental microenvironment promotes iHSC generation from human iPSCs.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are liver-specific mesenchymal cells that play a crucial role in liver formation and regeneration, as well as in different pathological diseases. However, the limited source of primary HSCs (pHSCs) and the suboptimal functionality of induced HSCs (iHSCs) by existing methods restrict their application in biomedical modeling. We developed a de novo differentiation method to generate iHSCs under simulated liver microenvironment in vitro, thereby enhancing the function of the differentiated cells.

Key factor screening in mouse NASH model using single-cell sequencing combined with machine learning.

Aims: To identify and analyze genes closely related to the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) by employing a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing and machine-learning algorithms.

Main Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis was performed to find the cell population with the most significant differences between the Chow and NASH groups. This approach was used to validate the developmental trajectory of this cell population and investigate changes in cellular communication and important signaling pathways among these cells.

A novel efficient strategy to generate liver sinusoidal endothelial cells from human pluripotent stem cells.

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) are highly specialized endothelial cells (ECs) that play an important role in liver development and regeneration. Additionally, it is involved in various pathological processes, including steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the rapid dedifferentiation of LSECs after culture greatly limits their use in vitro modeling for biomedical applications.