STATHMIN IS EXPRESSED BY THE PROLIFERATING HEPATOCYTES DURING LIVER-REGENERATION

Aim-To determine the liver cell populations that express the phylogene tically conserved cytosolic protein stathmin during liver regeneration . Methods-Double immunostaining for stathmin and the Ki67 antigen was performed on sections of formaldehyde fixed, paraffin wax embedded tis sues from 31 Liver specimens. These included a variety of disease cond itions characterised by some degree of hepatocyte regeneration. Quanti tative western blot analysis was performed on 22 of these specimens. R esults-Variable amounts of stathmin protein were detected by western b lotting in all of the specimens examined. Stathmin was not detected in three cases of histologically normal liver. On immunostaining, stathm in was demonstrated in a proportion of hepatocytes as well as lymphoid inflammatory cells and other tissue elements. In all cases most of th ese stathmin positive cells showed nuclear positivity for the Ki67 ant igen. Conclusions-Stathmin is expressed by proliferating hepatocytes b ut not by resting hepatocytes. Thus, it is likely that the protein has a function important to cell proliferation as opposed to cell differe ntiation.