Biliary tract articles from across Nature Portfolio

Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) is increasingly used for preserving and evaluating donor livers before transplantation. Here, the authors demonstrate increased regenerative protein profiles in the bile of perfused livers considered suitable for transplantation, providing insight into the mechanisms linked to recovery of the biliary tree following ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Two papers in Science Immunology describe a role for tuft cells in the gallbladder and bile ducts in sensing bacteria and their products ascending from the small intestine to stimulate antibacterial immune responses.

Deciphering the complex circuitry of liver homeostasis and repair is required to improve regenerative therapies for hepatic diseases. Studies in 2018 have identified subsets of hepatic cells that have unique reparative abilities and clarified the role of biomechanical forces and hepatobiliary reprogramming as sustainable modes of tissue repair.

A new report in Science by Ma and colleagues uncovers the interplay of microbiota-controlled bile acid metabolism and immune responses in the context of primary and metastatic liver tumours in mice. Their findings shed light on the gut–liver axis in hepatic malignancies.