Fig. 1

Generation and identification of the tamoxifen-inducible Alb-Cre transgenic mouse line Alb-Cre^ERT2/+; Sox9 f/f. A Schematic diagram showed the hepatocyte-specific Sox9 knockout strategy. B Hepatic Sox9 expression was determined by qRT-PCR in Sox9 f/f mice (N = 5) and Alb-Cre^ERT2/+; Sox9 f/f mice (N = 9) treated with tamoxifen. C Western blot analysis of Sox9 protein level in liver tissues from Sox9 f/f and H-Sox9 KO mice (N = 4). D Sox9/HNF4α double staining was performed by immunostaining. Red arrows depict Sox9⁺ HNF4α⁺ cells and green arrows depict Sox9⁺ bile duct cells. Scale bar, 20 μm. E Sox9/CK19 double staining was performed by immunostaining. Red arrows depict Sox9⁺ hepatocytes and green arrows depict Sox9⁺ bile duct cells. Scale bar, 20 μm. F Representative Sox9 immunohistochemical staining of liver samples from Sox9 f/f mice and H-Sox9 KO mice. The red arrows indicate Sox9⁺HNF4α⁺ cells, while the green arrows indicate Sox9⁺ bile duct cells. PV: periportal vein; CV: central vein. Scale bar, 100 or 20 μm