Signaling pathways in biliary epithelial cells

Abstract

Biliary epithelial cells, or cholangiocytes, line the lumen of the biliary tree. Like hepatocytes, cholangiocytes are a polarized epithelium with structural features that include well-defined apical and basolateral membrane domains. Cholangiocytes constitute approximately 5% of the mass of the liver and play an important role in the formation of bile by altering primary canalicular bile through a series of secretory and reabsorptive events. These events are regulated by peptide hormones, nucleotides, bile salts, growth factors, cytokines, and neurotransmitters that bind to and stimulate specific apical or basolateral surface membrane receptors, which in turn initiate intracellular signal transduction pathways that regulate cell function. In addition to their role in the modification of ductal bile, cholangiocytes participate in the detoxification of xenobiotics [1]. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.