Expression of osteopontin and this role in hepatic stellate cell motility and wound healing migration

  • Published : 2003.10.01

Abstract

The activation of the hepatic stellate cell (HSC) is a key step in liver fibrogenesis. We investigated the changes of global gene expression during activation in hepatic stellate cells using a rat cDNA microarray with 5, 000 sequence-verified clones. We identified osteopontin (OPN), a secreted matrix protein, as one of the upregulated factors. Northern analysis showed OPN mRNA was increasingly expressed during progressive activation of cultured rat HSCs and in models of experimental liver fibrosis. (omitted)

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