Figure 5.

Possible fates of diploid and polyploid hepatocytes during chronic liver injury and regeneration.

The cellular fates of hepatocytes with different ploidies is currently unknown. During liver regeneration after acute or chronic injury, it is known that newly formed hepatocytes can be derived from either diploid (green) or polyploid (orange) cells. It is less clear if the overall ploidy levels increase or decrease, since it is possible for ploidy states of individual cells to increase or decrease. This figure outlines the possible outcomes when cells with different ploidy states contribute to regeneration. Upper left: diploid cells divide more than polyploid cells and diploid daughter cells are more frequently generated, ultimately resulting in livers with decreased ploidy. Upper right: diploid cells polyploidize through cytokinesis failure or endoreduplication, resulting in livers with increased polyploidy. Lower left: polyploid cells divide more than diploid cells and diploid daughter cells are generated through reductive divisions, ultimately resulting in livers with decreased ploidy. Upper right: polyploid cells divide more than diploid cells, and polyploid daughter cells are generated, resulting in livers with increased ploidy.