Effect of Myh9 knockdown and PEG950 treatment on in vitro differentiated hepatocyte gene expression

Myh9 knockdown reduces the strength of the apical actomyosin cortex from hepatocytes, which causes isotropic growth of the bile canaliculus (BC) and ultimately results in the formation of hepatocyte cysts with a large central apical lumen. Treatment of hepatocytes with the osmotically active bioinert polymer PEG950 causes and increase in intraluminal pressure, which causes expansion of the bile canaliculus (BC) and ultimately results in the formation of hepatocyte cysts with a large central apical lumen. In these cysts, hepatocytes have common apico-basal polarity, such as observed for simple epithelia like cholangiocytes. To investigate whether this change in apical lumen morphology and polarization is associated with alterations in gene expression we compared hepatocytes with and without Myh9 knockdown and with and without PEG950 treatment.