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. 2021 May;191(5):885–901. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2021.02.008

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Absence of β-catenin and γ-catenin leads to loss of hepatocyte polarity. A: Schematic exhibiting hepatocyte polarization across the apical and basolateral poles. B: Confocal images of control (CON; adeno-associated virus-GFP) and double-knockout (DKO; DKO-12 day) liver showing bile salt export pump from the membrane in DKO and control (CON) mice. Inset shows higher magnification of staining. C: Immunohistochemistry images of control and DKO liver show basolateral marker CD10 in DKO liver. D: Phase contrast microscopy showing DKO hepatocytes in culture do not form cellular contact or bile canalicular structures when compared with CON hepatocytes (arrows). E: Top and middle rows: Transmission electron micrographs (TEMs) of control and DKO liver sections reveal aberrant bile canalicular structure with loss of microvilli. Dotted lines represents the bile canalicular structure. Arrows represent the microvilli. Bottom row: Scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of control and DKO showing microvilli in biliary canaliculi (boxed areas) in the DKO liver at day 12 after adeno-associated virus-Cre injection. F: Confocal images of control and DKO liver showing ezrin in the membrane in DKO. Scale bars: 10 μm (B, C, E, bottom row, and F); 20 μm (D); 1 μm (E, top row); 0.5 μm (E, middle row). Original magnification, ×60 (B). AJ, adherens junction; BC, biliary canaliculi; Mt, mitochondria; TJ, tight junction.