Thymus cell antigen-1-expressing cells in the oval cell compartment.

Unlabelled: Thymus cell antigen-1 (Thy-1)-expressing cells proliferate in the liver during oval cell (OC)-mediated liver regeneration. We characterized these cells in normal liver, in carbon tetrachloride-injured liver, and in several models of OC activation. The gene expression analyses were performed using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative RT-PCR (Q-RT-PCR) of cells isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and by immunofluorescent microscopy of tissue sections and isolated cells.