IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EVIDENCES OF MESENCHYMAL-EPITHELIAL AND EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITIONS IN EMBRYONIC AND POSTNATAL 123 LIVER MORPHOGENESIS
The processes of mesenchymal-epithelial and epithelial-mesenchymal transitions are associated with embryonic development, tissue differentiation and regeneration. We have analyzed liver tissue in rats from day 10 of embryonic development to adults to prove mesenichymal-epithelial and epithelial-mesenchymal transitions in liver morphogenesis. The immunohisto-chemical study showed that during the liver developmet expression of the epithelial marker (cytokeratin 18) increases, while the expression of the mesenchymal marker (vimentin) decreases, with the exception of the period from 1 to 17 days after birth, when the amount of vimentin increases. Revealed immunohistochemical evidencesof epithelial-mesenchymal and mesenchymalepithelial transitions at the stages of hepatogenesis.