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The typical hepatocyte is cubical with sides of 20-30 μm, (in comparison, a human hair has a diameter of 17 to 180 μm). [1] The typical volume of a hepatocyte is 3.4 x 10 −9 cm 3. [2] Smooth endoplasmic reticulum is abundant in hepatocytes, in contrast to most other cell types. [3]
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) or scatter factor (SF) is a paracrine cellular growth, motility and morphogenic factor. It is secreted by mesenchymal cells and targets and acts primarily upon epithelial cells and endothelial cells , but also acts on haemopoietic progenitor cells and T cells .
The liver is a major metabolic organ exclusively found in vertebrate animals, which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and various other biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth.
Phagocytes occur in many species; some amoebae behave like macrophage phagocytes, which suggests that phagocytes appeared early in the evolution of life. [6] Phagocytes of humans and other animals are called "professional" or "non-professional" depending on how effective they are at phagocytosis. [7]
The phagocytic cells of the immune system include macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Phagocytosis of the hosts' own cells is common as part of regular tissue development and maintenance. When host cells die, either by apoptosis or by cell injury due to an infection, phagocytic cells are responsible for their removal from the ...
Scheme of the complement system. The complement system, also known as complement cascade, is a part of the humoral, innate immune system and enhances (complements) the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism, promote inflammation, and attack the pathogen's cell membrane. [1]
Hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNFs) are a group of phylogenetically unrelated transcription factors that regulate the transcription of a diverse group of genes into proteins. These proteins include blood clotting factors and in addition, enzymes and transporters involved with glucose , cholesterol , and fatty acid transport and metabolism .
In cell biology, efferocytosis (from efferre, Latin for 'to carry out' [1] (to the grave), extended meaning 'to bury') is the process by which apoptotic cells are removed by phagocytic cells. It can be regarded as the 'burying of dead cells'.