Generation of hepatocytes expressing functional cytochromes P450 from a pancreatic progenitor cell line in vitro

The proliferating AR42J-B13 pancreatic cell line is known to respond to glucocorticoid treatment by producing foci of cells that express the liver-specific albumin gene. We demonstrate that this cell line also expresses liver-specific or liver-enriched functional cytochrome P450 proteins when stimulated to transdifferentiate into hepatocytes by glucocorticoid. These data suggest that this cell line has an unusual ability to transdifferentiate into functional hepatocytes and that it could be possible to generate a limitless supply of functional hepatocyte-like cells in vitro.