Expression and function of S-endoglin, a rat specific splice variant of endoglin, in liver cells

Background: Liver fibrosis, characterized by excess deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), is based on the activation hepatic stellate cells (HSC). Activation and ECM production of HSC is regulated by TGF-β1. Full length endoglin (L-endoglin), an accessory TGF-β1 has been shown to modulate these responses [1–3]. Nevertheless, in human and mouse a splice variant of endoglin, i.e. S-endoglin has been described, with significant altered functions compared to L-endoglin [4–6]. A similar splice variant of endoglin in rat has not been identified so far. Methods and Results: We show here that all cells of the liver,…