Isolation, culture and characterization of biliary epithelial cells from different anatomical levels of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary tree from a mouse.

We developed methods to isolate biliary epithelial cells (BECs) from the gallbladder (GB), common bile duct (CBD), intrahepatic large bile duct (ILBD) and small bile duct (ISBD) of a mouse, simultaneously. ILBD and ISBD were cut from the biliary tree after collagenase perfusion of the liver. BECs from all of these biliary segments were cultured as explants on collagen gel. BECs spread from the explants and formed cellular sheets. Areas of these sheets composed entirely of BECs were cut and placed on other gels as subculture, and this continued for 10 passages. Primary and passage cultured BECs on gel were composed of a monolayer of epithelial cells. Passaged cultured BECs in gel formed a spherical cyst lined by a single epithelial layer. Ultrastructurally, microvilli were dense on the luminal surface, and junctional complex and interdigitation was identifiable on the lateral surfaces. These features were similar in both primary and passaged cultured BECs, irrespective of their anatomical origin. Major histocompatibility complex antigens and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 were induced on the basolateral cell membranes of primary and passaged cultured BECs, by interferon-gamma. Although several phenotypic, structural and probable biological features of BECs inherent to each anatomical level may be lost after culture on gel, a combination of this method, several immunological modifications in experimental animals, and addition of immunologically active substances to the culture medium will make the immunopathologic analysis of biliary diseases possible.