Analysis for the Heterogeneity of Liver Progenitor Cells

Abstract

Recent technological advances have revealed the heterogeneity of cells and tissues. Existence of heterogeneity in hepatic progenitor cells is becoming apparent by various experimental approaches, and here we describe a series of techniques to investigate the proliferative heterogeneity of these cells. We have developed a new technique by combining genetic lineage tracking and three-dimensional imaging methods. The data obtained can be used in statistical analysis to quantitatively investigate the mechanisms underlying the heterogeneity of hepatic progenitor cells.