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PreprintCC BY-NCbioRxiv

Generation of hepatocyte-like cells from sheep embryonic stem cells

  • F. O. Kok
  • A. Kasarinaite
  • D. Rajesh
  • P. J. Mee
  • D. C. Hay1
  1. 1The University of Edinburgh
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Abstract

Development of in-vitro liver models in livestock species presents new opportunities for studying animal physiology and expanding biotechnological applications. Here, we describe a serum-free differentiation strategy to generate hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) from sheep embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The HLCs displayed hepatocyte morphology and key hepatic functions such as albumin secretion, inducible P450 activity, lipid uptake and storage. Transcriptomic analysis further confirmed progressive hepatic specification and revealed both conserved and species-specific gene expression patterns. Overall, this study establishes a robust system for generating sheep HLCs and offers a platform for studying liver biology in livestock and exploring further biotechnological applications, including cellular agriculture.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{kok2026generation,
  title = {{Generation of hepatocyte-like cells from sheep embryonic stem cells}},
  author = {F. O. Kok and A. Kasarinaite and D. Rajesh and P. J. Mee and D. C. Hay},
  howpublished = {bioRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.64898/2026.10.23.761310},
  url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.23.761310v1},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Generation of hepatocyte-like cells from sheep embryonic stem cells
AU  - F. O. Kok
AU  - A. Kasarinaite
AU  - D. Rajesh
AU  - P. J. Mee
AU  - D. C. Hay
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
PB  - bioRxiv
DO  - 10.64898/2026.10.23.761310
UR  - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.23.761310v1
AB  - Development of in-vitro liver models in livestock species presents new opportunities for studying animal physiology and expanding biotechnological applications. Here, we describe a serum-free differentiation strategy to generate hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) from sheep embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The HLCs displayed hepatocyte morphology and key hepatic functions such as albumin secretion, inducible P450 activity, lipid uptake and storage. Transcriptomic analysis further confirmed progressive hepatic specification and revealed both conserved and species-specific gene expression patterns. Overall, this study establishes a robust system for generating sheep HLCs and offers a platform for studying liver biology in livestock and exploring further biotechnological applications, including cellular agriculture.
ER  -