Biol Chem. 2019 Jul 1. pii: /j/bchm.just-accepted/hsz-2019-0283/hsz-2019-0283.xml. doi: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0283. [Epub ahead of print]

Space of Disse: a stem cell niche in the liver.

Häussinger D¹, Kordes C¹.

Abstract

Recent evidence indicate that the plasticity of preexisting hepatocytes and bile duct cells is responsible for the appearance of intermediate progenitor cells capable to restore liver mass after injury without the need of a stem cell compartment. However, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) exist in all organs and are associated with blood vessels which represent their perivascular stem cell niche. MSC are multipotent and can differentiate into several cell types and are known to support regenerative processes by the release of immunomodulatory and trophic factors. In the liver, the space of Disse constitutes a stem cell niche that harbors stellate cells as liver resident MSC. This perivascular niche is created by extracellular matrix proteins, sinusoidal endothelial cells, liver parenchymal cells, and sympathetic nerve endings and establishes a microenvironment that is suitable to maintain stellate cells and to control their fate. The stem cell niche integrity is important for the behavior of stellate cells in the normal, regenerative, aged, and diseased liver. The niche character of the space of Disse may further explain why the liver can become an organ of extra-medullar hematopoiesis and why this organ is frequently prone to tumor metastasis.