Abstract: Objective To explore the role of JNK signaling pathway of eight liver cell types in rat liver regeneration (LR) at the gene transcription level.Methods BR>Eight types of rat regenerating liver cells, including hepatocytes (HC), biliary epithelial cells (BEC), oval cells (OC), hepatic stellate cells (HSC), sinusoidal endothelial cells (SEC), Kupffer cells (KC), pit cells (PC) and dendritic cells (DC), were isolated using the combination of percoll density gradient centrifugation and immunomagnetic bead methods. Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array was used to detect expression profiles of JNK signaling pathwayrelated genes in eight liver cell types, and bioinformatics and systems biology methods were used to analyze the proliferation or apoptosis activities which were predicted by the expression profiles. RT-PCR analysis was performed to validate the reliability of the microarray results. BR>Results Literatures showed that 42 paths and 240 genes were involved in JNK signaling pathway. Two hundred and twenty-five genes of the JNK signaling pathway were found to be involved in LR. Gene synergy analysis showed that JNK signaling pathway promoted proliferation of HC, PC, DC and KC and apoptosis of OC, PC and DC in the priming phase, enhanced proliferation of HC, BEC, KC, DC, PC and apoptosis of PC in the progressive phase, and promoted apoptosis of HC, OC, PC and KC and proliferation of KC in terminal phase.Conclusion Forty-two paths and 225 genes of JNK signaling pathway may regulate proliferation and apoptosis of the eight liver cell type

Key words: Rat liver regeneration, JNK signaling pathway, Eight liver cell types, Genome 230 2.0 array, Gene synergy, Rat