The orphan nuclear receptor COUP-TFII coordinates hypoxia-independent proangiogenic responses in hepatic stellate cells

Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) transdifferentiation into collagen-producing myofibroblasts is a key event in hepatic fibrogenesis, but the transcriptional network that controls the acquisition of the activated phenotype is still poorly understood. In this study, we explored whether the nuclear receptor Chicken Ovalbumin Upstream Promoter-Transcription Factor II (COUP-TFII) is involved in HSC activation and in the multifunctional role of these cells during the response to liver injury.