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1: Comp Hepatol. 2004 Jan 14;3 Suppl 1:S13.Click here to read Click here to read Links

Intercellular Adhesive Structures Between Stellate Cells - An Analysis in Cultured Human Hepatic Stellate Cells.

Imai K, Sato M, Sato T, Kojima N, Miura M, Higashi N, Wang DR, Suzuki S, Senoo H.

Department of Anatomy, Akita University School of Medicine, Akita 010-8543, Japan. imai@med.akita-u.ac.jp

To investigate whether or not hepatic stellate cells can form intercellular junctions with each other, we cultured human stellate cells (LI90) on different kinds of substrata. Intercellular junctions were detected between these cultured stellate cells by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The molecular components of the intercellular adhesive structures were identified by immunofluorescence microscopy. Immunofluorescence for cadherin and catenins was detected at the adhesion sites between the cultured stellate cells. Thus, the intercellular junctions were indicated to be adherens junctions at the molecular level. The junctions developed in the cultured stellate cells irrespective of the type of substratum. These data suggest that the junctional formation between the stellate cells occurs in vivo as well as in vitro.

PMID: 14960165 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

PMCID: PMC2410236