Role of mutated hepatic progenitor cells on hepatocarcinogenesis

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Although the origin of cancer cells remains mostly unsolved at present, it appears reasonable to assume that long-lived tissue stem/progenitor cells can accumulate genetic alterations and hence could be the origin of tumor cells. Whether the stepwise accumulation of genetic alterations on originally normal hepatic stem/progenitor cells contributes to the development of tumor cells, however, remains unknown. We demonstrated that engrafted hepatic progenitor cells played a role in the origin of liver tumors, including both hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocellular carcinoma, through the accumulation of somatic mutations in a variety of target genes.