The Sea Lamprey as an Etiological Model for Biliary Atresia

Figure 6

Taurine reduced intrahepatic bile duct dilatation. Larval sea lampreys were injected with vehicle (lipofectamine) and cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSAD) siRNA or in combination with taurine. Vehicle-treated liver contained many degenerated cells. Intrahepatic bile ducts were slightly dilated (short white arrows). Treatment with CSAD siRNA induced dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts (long white arrow). Taurine seemed to reduce the dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts. Blue immunofluorescence staining: caspase 3 (apoptosis marker). Green immunofluorescence staining: BCL2 (apoptosis protection marker). Red immunofluorescence staining: CSAD (the rate limiting enzyme for taurine biosynthesis). Whole livers were processed with a modified CLARITY method [122]. Scale bar: 500 μm.

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