During the last years much attention has been given to the investigation of the roles of specific growth modulators acting on liver cell populations. HGF functions as a pleotropic factor in the liver as well as in other extrahepatic tissues. The hepatic stem cell compartment is thought to play a major role in liver tissue restoration. Mechanisms of cell growth and cell death of the liver are described in detail, with particular emphasis on apoptosis. The functions of HBV-pX protein and the roles of hepatitis B virus gene expression relation to hepatocellular carcinoma are discussed. Techniques for obtaining human and nonhuman hepatocytes and other liver cell types and for efficient transfer and expression of genes in hepatocytes and liver-derived cell lines are presented.

Inhalt
Molecular pathways in hepatocyte proliferation.- HGF and liver growth regulation.- Structure, pleiotropic actions and organotrophic roles of hepatocyte growth factor.- Hepatocyte Growth Factor and its variant with a deletion of five amino-acids are distinguishable in biological, physicochemical and immunochemical properties.- Growth stimulation mediated by G protein-coupled receptors in hepatocytes: Synergism with epidermal growth factor and mechanisms of signal transduction.- Protein tyrosine phosphatases in signal transduction.- C-myc is essential for initiation of DNA synthesis in EGF-stimulated hepatocyte cultures.- Cellular biology of the rat hepatic stem cell compartment.- Changes in protein expression during oval cell proliferation in the liver.- Stem cell activation in the acetylaminofluorene-treated regenerating rat liver: A bile ductular reaction?.- Apoptosis and its role in hepatic carcinogenesis by non-genotoxic agents.- Cell proliferation and cell death in the liver: Patterns, mechanisms and measurements.- Preneoplastic changes during non-genotoxic hepatocarcinogenesis.- mRNA composition of rat liver tumors initiated by aromatic amines.- Liver ?-Glutamyl transpeptidase activity after cyclosporine A and amlodipine treatment.- Enhanced expression of the 27KDa heat-shock protein during DENA-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rat and in human neoplastic and non-neoplastic liver tissues.- Hepatic recovery of dimethylnitrosamine-cirrhotic rats after injection of the liver growth factor.- Cell contact-mediated regulation of hepatocyte differentiation/proliferation: Role of LRP(s).- Interactions of human hepatocytes with hepatitis B virus.- Liver-specific aspects of hepatitis B virus gene expression.- Transcriptional involvement of the hepatitis B virus protein incellular transduction systems. Protein-protein interactions with bZip transactivators.- Role of duck hepatitis B virus infection, aflatoxin B1 and p53 mutation in hepatocellular carcinomas of ducks.- The preparation and culturing of rat hepatocytes.- Isolation and growth of hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells from normal and diseased human livers.- A novel strategy for isolating HEPR, a human small intestinal cytidine deaminase.- Regenerating liver: Isolation of up- and down-regulated gene products.- Hepatotrophic and renotrophic activities of HGF in vivo: Possible application of HGF for hepatic and renal diseases.- Targeted gene delivery and expression.- Studies on persistence and enhancement of targeted gene expression.- The generation of tumor vaccines by adenovirus-enhanced transferrinfection of cytokine genes into tumor cells.