Development of extrahepatic bile duct excluding gall bladder in human fetuses: histological, histochemical, and immunohistochemical analysis

BACKGROUND

The fetal development of extrahepatic bile ducts (EBD) is unkown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Development of EBD was examined by immunohistochemistry in 16 fetuses of 7-40 gestational week (GW). Gall bladder (GB) was not investigated.

RESULTS

At seven GW, a hepato-pancreatic bud (HPB) was seen near the hepatic hilus. At eight GW, embryonic EBD, GB and pacreas developed from HPB. Portal veins (PV) and hepatic arteries (HAs) were present in EBD at eight GW. Liver parenchyma was already present in seven GW. At eight GW, EBD at porta hepatis (PH) was already established; PH EBD was derived from ductal plate (DP). The distal and middle EBD gradually develeped and took shape of EBD at nine GW. In PH, cystic and hepatic ducts developed from DP at eight GW. EBD developed further, accompanying many nerve fibers (NF) at PH and distal and middle EBD. Apparent PV and HA were seen around 12 GW. Around 20 GW, HA and capillaries proliferated, giving rise to peribiliary capillary plexus (PCP) in all parts of EBD. EBD grew gradually further, and around 30 GW extrahepatic peribiliary glands (EPG) emerged from EBD but not from cystic duct. Around 36 GW, exocrine pancreatic acinar cells emerged from remodeled DP at PH. At term (40 GW), EBD was established but was as yet immature. Numerous NF were present around EBD. Histochemically, EBD epithelium had no mucins at 7-12 GW but contained neutral and acidic mucins at 23-40 GW. EPG had abundant neutral and acidic mucins. Immunohistochemically, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was consistently positive in the epithelial and mesenychyma. The NF and muscles of HPB present at seven GW were positive for neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α (PDGFRA), and KIT, but they disappeared in nine GW. Expressions of cytokeratin (CK) seven and CK19 in EBD and EPG were slight or none, while expression of CK8 was moderate, and that of CK18 was strong. NF were positive for NCAM, NSE, synaptophysin, and chromogranin, and PDGFRA. MUC1 and MUC6 apomucins were noted in EBD and EPG. EPG contained numerous endocrine cells positive for chromogranin, synaptophysin, NCAM and NSE. A few endocrine cells positive for these antigens were seen in EBD. Numeous KIT-positive stem cells (SC) were seen in PH, EBD, PV, HA, PCP, and EPG. NCAM-positive and bcl-2-positive SC were also located in these structures. Epithelial cells of EBD and EPG showed expressions of MET, PDGFRA, CA19-9, MUC1, MUC2, MUC6, KIT, bcl-2, and ErbB2. No expressions of HepPar1, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) were noted.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the findings have limitatios because this study of humans are descriptive one, the present data suggest that the processes of the development and differentiation of EBD system may be associated with EBD SC, CK prolifes, SFC/KIT signaling, HGF/MET signaling, PDGRa/PDGFRA signaling, fibroblast growth factor/ErbB2 signaling, neuroendocrine lineage, NF differentiation, pancreatic aninar cell differentiation, PCP differentiation, MUC apomucins differentiation, and expressions of AFP and CA19-9. HepPar1, EMA and CEA were not involved in them.

The human fetal lymphocyte lineage: identification by CD27 and LIN28B expression in B cell progenitors

CD27, a member of the TNFR superfamily, is used to identify human memory B cells. Nonetheless, CD27(+) B cells are present in patients with HIGM1 syndrome who are unable to generate GCs or memory B cells. CD27(+)IgD(+) fetal B cells are present in umbilical cord blood, and CD27 may also be a marker of the human B1-like B cells. To define the origin of naïve CD27(+)IgD(+) human B cells, we studied B cell development in both fetal and adult tissues. In human FL, most CD19(+) cells coexpressed CD10, a marker of human developing B cells. Some CD19(+)CD10(+) B cells expressed CD27, and these fetal CD27(+) cells were present in the pro-B, pre-B, and immature/transitional B cell compartments. Lower frequencies of phenotypically identical cells were also identified in adult BM. CD27(+) pro-B, pre-B, and immature/transitional B cells expressed recombination activating gene-1, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and Vpre-B mRNA comparably to their CD27(-) counterparts. CD27(+) and CD27(-) developing B cells showed similar Ig heavy chain gene usage with low levels of mutations, suggesting that CD27(+) developing B cells are distinct from mutated memory B cells. Despite these similarities, CD27(+) developing B cells differed from CD27(-) developing B cells by their increased expression of LIN28B, a transcription factor associated with the fetal lymphoid lineages of mice. Furthermore, CD27(+) pro-B cells efficiently generated IgM(+)IgD(+) immature/transitional B cells in vitro. Our observations suggest that CD27 expression during B cell development identifies a physiologic state or lineage for human B cell development distinct from the memory B cell compartment.

Human fetal ductal plate revisited: II. MUC1, MUC5AC, and MUC6 are expressed in human fetal ductal plate and MUC1 is expressed also in remodeling ductal plate, remodeled ductal plate and mature bile ducts of human fetal livers

Mucins are high-molecular-weight glycoproteins, which are heavily decorated with a large number of O-linked oligosaccharides and a few N-glycan chains, linked to a protein backbone. The protein backbone is called mucin core protein or MUC apomucins. MUC expression is down-regulated or up-regulated in malignant neoplasms. These alterations of MUC apomucins, which are regulated by MUC genes, are associated with carcinogenesis and malignant potentials of cancers. MUC expression during human fetal intrahepatic bile duct (IBD) development has been studied only once, and there has been only one histochemical study of mucins in human fetal IBD development. The author herein immunohistochemically investigated the expression of MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC6, and histochemically investigated carbohydrate component of mucins in human fetal cholangiocytes with the use of 32 human fetal livers of various gestational ages. MUC1 is a transmembranous apomucin, while MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6 are secretory apomucins. Under normal conditions, MUC1 (polymorphic epithelial mucin) is present mainly in the pancreatic epithelium. MUC2 (goblet cell mucin) is mainly located in goblet cells. MUC5AC (gastric foveolar mucin) and MUC6 (pyloric gland-type mucin) are located in the stomach. In the present study, the processes of the human IBD development could be categorized into four stages; ductal plate (DP), remodeling DP, remodeled DP, and mature IBDs. The author identified that MUC1 was present in ductal plate (DP), remodeling DP, remodeled DP, and mature IBD in human fetal livers. MUC5AC and MUC6 were present only in the DP. MUC5AC and MUC6 were absent in remodeling DP, remodeled DP, and mature IBD in human fetal livers. No expression of MUC2 was seen throughout the fetal IBD development. Histochemically, no carbohydrate component of mucins were seen in the remodeling DP and remodeled DP, while neutral and acidic mucins (carboxylated and sulfated mucins) were seen in mature IBD in human fetal livers. The DP showed frequently neutral mucins and less frequently acidic mucins (carboxylated and sulfated mucins residues). These findings suggest that the DP cells have MUC1, MUC5AC and MUC6, and that remodeling DP, remodeled DP, and mature IBDs have MUC1, but not MUC5AC and MUC6. The presence of neutral and acidic carbohydrates in DP suggests that these carbohydrates of mucin are attached to the MUC5AC and MUC6 mucin core proteins. Although the implications are unclear, the expression of these MUC apomucins and their carbohydrate residues are associated with normal development of IBDs in human fetal livers.

Four forms of cytochrome P-450 in human fetal liver: purification and their capacity to activate promutagens

Four forms of cytochrome P-450 were separated and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from human fetal livers. These forms of cytochrome P-450, termed P-450HFLa, P-450HFLb, P-450HFLc and P-450HFLd, were distinguishable from each other in their molecular weights, spectral properties, immunochemical properties and mutagen-producing activities from promutagens. The molecular weights of P-450HFLa, b, c and d were estimated to be 51,500, 49,000, 51,500 and 50,000, respectively. Antibodies to P-450HFLa recognized P-450HFLc but not P-450HFLb or d, and antibodies to rat P-448-H (P-450IA2) cross-reacted with P-450HFLb but not with other forms of cytochrome P-450. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of P-450HFLc was highly homologous, but not identical, to that of P-450HFLa. Each form of cytochrome P-450 catalyzed mutagenic activation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) and 2-amino-6-methyldipyrido-[1,2-a:3',2'-d]imidazole (Glu-P-1) at different rates. P-450 HFLa showed activities to produce mutagen(s) from AFB1, IQ and to a lesser extent from Glu-P-1. P-450 HFLb activated IQ at a faster rate than did the other forms. P-450 HFLc produced a mutagen from AFB1 and Glu-P-1 but not from IQ. P-450 HFLd did not activate these promutagens at significant rates.