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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Jan 21;19(5):297–312. doi: 10.1038/s41575-021-00571-w

Figure 2). Role of Hippo signaling in liver development.

Figure 2)

a) During mouse embryonic development, hepatic specification occurs at E8.25. Interactions of the foregut endoderm with the septum transversum and cardiac mesoderm are required for the specification of hepatic endoderm. b) Hepatoblasts, the embryonic precursors to hepatocytes and cholangiocytes, first appear in the liver bud at E9. c) Hepatoblast differentiation to hepatocytes or cholangiocytes occurs between E11.5 – E15.5. Cholangiocyte differentiation requires Wnt, TGFβ, and Notch signaling, while hepatocyte differentiation requires a regulatory network of transcription factors. d) Liver maturation continues after birth to form the mature hepatic architecture. e) Deletion of Yap1 via Albumin-Cre impairs bile duct formation and reduces hepatocyte viability. f) Hyperactivation of YAP through deletion of upstream Hippo components via Albumin-Cre results in failure to form mature hepatocytes and expansion of immature biliary cells.