[Effect of bone morphogenetic protein-4 on the proliferation and differentiation of rat hepatic precursor cells].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the regulation effect of bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) on the proliferation and differentiation of rat hepatic precursor cells. METHODS: We used Noggin (200 ng/mL) as the function blocking control of BMP-4, and the hepatic precursor cells of WB-F344 were treated with recombinant BMP-4 at 50 ng/mL at different time points. The proliferation of WB-F344 cells were tested by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetric assay. The ultrastructural characters of differentiated WB-F344 cells regulated by BMP-4 were observed under a transmission electron microscope. RT-PCR was used to examine mRNA expression of specific molecular markers for different cellular phenotypes potentially differentiated from the WB-F344 cells. RESULTS: At different time points, the absorbance values in the BMP-4 treatment groups were higher than those in the control groups of Noggin and blank treatment (P<0.01). The WB-F344 cells treated with BMP-4 exhibited typical ultrastructural characters of well-differentiated epithelial cells. The hepatocyte mRNA markers were more significantly promoted in the differentiated WB-F344 cells in the BMP-4 treatment group than those in the other 2 control groups. CONCLUSION: BMP-4 can promote the proliferation and directional differentiation towards hepatocytes of rat hepatic precursor cells of WB-F344.