Maintenance of Hepatic Progenitor-like Characteristics of HepaRG Cells by Cultivation on VECELL Inserts

Abstract

Cell shape influences cell functionality. We investigated the possibility that the differentiation state of HepaRG, a bipotential hepatic progenitor cell line, was changed by cultivation on VECELL Inserts, which consist of type I collagen-coated expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) mesh. HepaRG cells plated on VECELL Inserts possessed a round shape. Gene expression patterns obtained from HepaRG cells cultured on VECELL Inserts suggested that the cells maintained their progenitor cell-like characteristics, while not losing the capacity to differentiate into hepatocytes. Retaining cell stemness is important for the expansion of progenitor cells to maintain their differentiation potency. VECELL Inserts are a novel culture apparatus that easily retains the characteristics of hepatic progenitor cells. It may be useful for the culture and expansion of hepatic progenitor cells, and thus, provide fundamental cell source for in vitro toxicity and biotransformation assays.