Figure 9. Schematic diagram of hepatocyte proliferation during mouse development, liver injury, and cancer.

Summary diagram illustrating the timing of hepatocyte proliferation and the oscillatory nature of E2F8 protein expression during mouse postnatal liver development, cancer, and liver injury. Mouse hepatocyte proliferation during the first weeks of life is a critical time period when the liver is most susceptible to the initiation of HCC. E2F8 plays a critical role in suppressing HCC during this early developmental stage. We also suggest that E2F8-mediated transcriptional repression in cycling hepatocytes may be critical to suppress carcinogenesis following acute (depicted in the bottom panel) or chronic liver injury.