摘要 |
<p>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To differentiate immature hepatocytes to mature hepatocytes through a method for screening a compound controlling the differentiation of an immature hepatocyte or the like, which comprises culturing the immature hepatocyte in the presence of oncostatin M and dexamethasone. SOLUTION: Immature hepatocytes are differentiated to mature hepatocytes as follows: an embryo hepatic tissue of a mouse or the like is finely minced; the minced tissue is dispersed in a dispersing buffer containing an enzyme; subsequently blood cells are removed by the hemolysis with a hypotonic buffer solution; the obtained matter is suspended in a medium; it is plated on a tissue culture dish coated with gelatin; after several hours, hematopoietic cells and cell fragments are removed by washing with the medium to obtain immature hepatocytes; subsequently, the immature hepatocytes are culture in the presence of oncostatin M and dexamethasone; and the differentiation of the immature hepatocytes to mature hepatocytes is detected by using cell cluster formation, intracellular glycogen accumulation, intracellular albumin production, TAT gene expression, G6P-ase gene expression, ammonia detoxification or the like as an index.</p> |