肝前体细胞(HPCs)是肝脏内具有自我更新、高度增殖和多向分化潜能的成体干细胞,不仅与肝脏再生修复密切相关,也与原发性肝癌发生、发展密切相关。本文简要总结了近几年有关肝前体细胞的生物学特性、来源、定位以及多种信号调控通路在其增殖、分化及形成肿瘤中的作用等研究进展。 Hepatic precursor cells (HPCs) are adult stem cells with self-renewal, highly proliferative and multi-directional differentiation potential in the liver. They are not only closely related to liver regeneration and repair, but also closely related to the occurrence and development of primary liver cancer. This article briefly summarizes the recent advances in the biological characteristics, origin, localization and the role of multiple signaling pathways in the proliferation, differentiation and tumor formation of hepatic precursor cells.