The present invention relates to a multipotent stem cell, multipotent cell populations, and an enriched multipotent cell population, each found in fetal, neonatal, pediatric, and adult biliary tree tissue and up to 72 hours post mortem (although preferentially, within 10 hours post mortem) and capable of maturing into multiple endodermal tissues that include liver, biliary and pancreatic tissues. The multipotent stem/progenitor cell and cell populations are found in peribiliary glands, and progenitors descending from them are present throughout the biliary tree including in the gallbladder. High numbers of the peribiliary glands are found in the branching locations of the biliary tree such as hilum, common hepatic duct, cystic duct, common duct, common hepato-pancreatic duct and gallbladder. Related multipotent cells, multipotent cell populations and their descendent progenitors are found throughout the biliary tree including in the gall bladder, which does not have peribiliary glands. Compositions comprising same, methods of identifying and isolating same, maintaining same in culture, expanding same in culture and differentiating or lineage restricting the same in vitro or in vivo to hepatic, biliary or pancreatic fates (e.g., as hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and/or pancreatic islet cells) are also provided. Methods of using the multipotent cells and/or multipotent cell populations are also provided.本發明係有關於一種多潛能幹細胞、多潛能細胞族群及一種富集的多潛能細胞族群，各者可在胎兒、新生兒、兒童及成人的樹狀膽管組織及在死後長達72小時(雖然偏向於死後10小時內)發現，及可成熟成為多種內皮組織包括肝臟、膽管及胰臟組織。在圍膽腺中發現多潛能幹細胞/前驅細胞及細胞族群，及自其等轉變而來的前驅細胞係存在於整個樹狀膽管及包括存在於膽囊中。在樹狀膽管的分支位置諸如肝門、總肝管、膽囊管、總管、總肝胰管及膽囊，發現數目眾多的圍膽腺。相關的多潛能細胞、多潛能細胞族群及其等所轉變的前驅細胞係在整個樹狀膽管發現，包括在不具有圍膽腺的膽囊發現。亦提供包含其等之組成物，用於辨識與分離其等、在培養中維持其等、在培養中擴增其等及在試管內或在活體內分化或譜系限制其等成為肝臟、膽管或臟胰的命運(如以肝細胞、膽管細胞及/或胰島細胞形式)之方法。亦提供使用多潛能細胞及/或多潛能細胞族群之方法。
