AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 247, Issue 3 199-G205, Copyright © 1984 by American Physiological Society
Proteins in bile: how they get there and what they do
N. F. LaRusso
Experimental hepatologists have recently directed increasing attention to
biliary proteins. Studies have been performed to clarify which proteins are
in bile, how they get there, and what they do. Results derived with a
variety of analytical techniques and several experimental models indicate
that there are many individual proteins in bile; some get there from plasma
across hepatocytes via specific transport processes involving vesicles,
while others are derived directly from cells in the liver. It appears that
some proteins are released into bile after hepatocyte degradation while
others may have important and specific functions. Quantitative or
qualitative abnormalities of certain biliary proteins could be important in
the pathophysiology of selected diseases.
