One major function of the liver is the uptake of endo- and xenobiotics from the bloodstream and
their excretion into bile. The transport systems involved in hepatobiliary transport have been
recently cloned and characterized at the molecular level and it is becoming clear that
mutations and polymorphisms of individual transporter molecules underlie a variety of liver
diseases. Furthermore new research has shown that bile acids whose function in digestion is
long known also behave as signal molecules in a variety of organs including the intestinal
and biliary epithelia sinusoidal endothelial and immune cells. This book provides indepth
surveys on the structure and function of transport molecules involved in hepatobiliary
transport on the role of different bile acids receptors in various organs and their function
in health and disease the mechanisms of bile salt-induced apoptosis and hepatocyte protection
and the role of transporter mutations as causes and modifiers of liver diseases. The book will
be of interest not only for biochemists structural chemists and biologists but also for
clinicians.
