biliary tuft cell
biliary tuft cell
A tuft cell that is part of the extrahepatic biliary tree, including the gallbladder and extrahepatic bile ducts. It shares a core genetic program with intestinal tuft cells but has unique tissue-specific genes. Biliary tuft cell functions as a bile acid-sensitive regulator, suppressing inflammation and modulating microbiome-dependent neutrophil infiltration in biliary tissues. Unlike its intestinal counterparts, this cell decreases in number postnatally as bile acid production matures, with its abundance negatively regulated by bile acids.