鉴于肝脏独特的再生能力，研究人员长期以来一直关注肝细胞前体细胞（LPC）和肝癌干细胞（LCSC）。LPC能够分化成肝细胞和胆管细胞。然而，细胞转化的机制及其对肝脏稳态和肿瘤发生的独特贡献仍不清楚。在本综述中，我们讨论了涉及LPC和LCSC的复杂转化过程。作为恶性转化的关键中间状态，LPC扮演着双刃剑的角色。LPC不仅通过补充损伤肝脏中的肝细胞和胆管细胞参与肝脏创伤愈合反应，而且在关键信号通路失调的情况下可能转化为LCSC，导致难治性恶性肝肿瘤。由于LPC的谱系在时间和空间上动态变化，我们讨论了重要的LPC亚群，并总结了与肝脏肿瘤微环境中LPC和LCSC轨迹相关的调节因子。本综述详细解释了LPC双刃剑的作用，有助于理解肝脏的再生潜力和肿瘤的异质性。了解LPC的来源和转化对于未来如何利用其再生能力至关重要。版权所有©2023. Elsevier B.V.出版。

Given the liver's remarkable and unique regenerative capacity, researchers have long focused on liver progenitor cells (LPCs) and liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs). LPCs can differentiate into both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. However, the mechanism underlying cell conversion and its distinct contribution to liver homeostasis and tumorigenesis remain unclear. In this review, we discuss the complicated conversions involving LPCs and LCSCs. As the critical intermediate state in malignant transformation, LPCs play double-edged sword roles. LPCs are not only involved in hepatic wound-healing responses by supplementing liver cells and bile duct cells in the damaged liver but may transform into LCSCs under dysregulation of key signaling pathways, resulting in refractory malignant liver tumors. Because LPC lineages are temporally and spatially dynamic, we discuss crucial LPC subgroups and summarize regulatory factors correlating with the trajectories of LPCs and LCSCs in the liver tumor microenvironment. This review elaborates on the double-edged sword roles of LPCs to help understand the liver's regenerative potential and tumor heterogeneity. Understanding the sources and transformations of LPCs is essential in determining how to exploit their regenerative capacity in the future.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.