Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), vitamin A-storing liver pericytes, undergo myofibroblastic trans-
differentiation or" activation" to participate in liver wound healing. This cellular process
involves loss of regulation by adipogenic transcription factors such as peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Necdin, a melanoma antigen family protein,
promotes neuronal and myogenic differentiation while inhibiting adipogenesis. The present
study demonstrates that necdin is selectively expressed in HSCs among different liver cell …