Immortalized human urine-derived cells for analysis of pathomechanisms in monogenic liver diseases

For monogenic diseases, patient-derived cells are the gold standard of experimental studies. However, materials derived from biopsies are limited and the proliferation of primary cells is frequently restricted. Epithelial cells found in the urine (UCs) represent a noninvasive source for establishment of continuously growing cell lines. The aim of this study was to recapitulate pathomechanisms of various liver diseases using immortalized UCs via gene transfer of human papillomavirus 16-derived oncogenes E6 and E7 (HPVE6E7).