Prostate cancer and benign tumors of the prostate are the two most common neoplastic diseases in men in the United States, however, research on their causes and treatment has been slow because of the difficulty in obtaining fresh samples of human tissue and a lack of well characterized cell lines which exhibit growth and differentiation characteristics of normal prostatic epithelium. Non-neoplastic adult human prostatic epithelial cells from a white male donor were immortalized with human papillomavirus 18 which resulted in the establishment of the RWPE-1 cell line. Cells from the RWPE-1 cell line were further transformed by v-Ki-ras to establish the RWPE-2 cell line. The objectives of this study were to: (1) establish the prostatic epithelial origin and androgen responsiveness of RWPE-1 and RWPE-2 cell lines; (2) examine their response to growth factors; and (3) establish the malignant characteristics of the RWPE-2 cell line. Immunoperoxidase staining showed that both RWPE-1 and RWPE-2 cells express cytokeratins 8 and 18, which are characteristic of luminal prostatic epithelial cells, but they also coexpress basal cell cytokeratins. These cell lines show growth stimulation and prostate specific antigen (PSA) and androgen receptor (AR) expression in response to the synthetic androgen mibolerone, which establishes their prostatic epithelial origin. Both cell lines also show a dose-dependent growth stimulation by EGF and bFGF and growth inhibition when exposed to TGF-beta, however, the transformed RWPE-2 cells are less responsive. RWPE-1 cells neither grow in agar nor form tumors when injected into nude mice with or without Matrigel. However, RWPE-2 cells form colonies in agar and tumors in nude mice. In the in vitro invasion assay, RWPE-1 cells are not invasive whereas RWPE-2 cells are invasive. Nuclear expression of p53 and Rb proteins was heterogeneous but detectable by immunostaining in both cell lines. The RWPE-1 cells, which show many normal cell characteristics, and the malignant RWPE-2 cells, provide useful cell culture models for studies on prostate growth regulation and carcinogenesis.

Although several epidemiologic studies show an association between arsenic exposure and prostate cancer, it is still unknown whether human prostate epithelial cells are directly susceptible to arsenic-induced transformation. This study was designed to determine whether the nontumorigenic human prostate epithelial cell line RWPE-1 could be malignantly transformed in vitro by arsenite. RWPE-1 cells were continuously exposed to 5 micro M arsenite and monitored for signs of transformation, assessed as changes in matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels. After 29 weeks of exposure, the arsenite-exposed RWPE-1 cells (referred to as CAsE-PE) showed a marked increase in matrix metalloproteinase-9 secretion, a common finding in prostate malignancies. Malignant transformation was confirmed when CAsE-PE cells produced aggressive undifferentiated malignant epithelial tumors in nude mice. The tumors stained positive for human prostate-specific antigen, confirming their origin. These results are the first report of arsenite-induced malignant transformation of a human epithelial cell line and provide an important in vitro model for studying the mechanisms underlying arsenic-induced carcinogenesis in humans.

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BackgroundAberrant DNA methylation is common in carcinogenesis. The typical pattern appears to involve reduced expression of maintenance DNA methyltransferase, DNMT1, inducing genomic hypomethylation, whereas increased expression of de novo DNMT3a or 3b causes gene-specific hypermethylation.ObjectivesDuring cadmium-induced malignant transformation, an unusual pattern of genomic hypermethylation occurred that we studied to provide insight into the roles of specific DNMTs in oncogenesis.MethodsGene expression and DNA methylation were assessed in control and chronic cadmium-transformed prostate epithelial cells (CTPE) using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot analysis, methylation-specific PCR, and methyl acceptance assay.ResultsDuring the 10-weeks of cadmium exposure that induced malignant transformation, progressive increases in generalized DNMT enzymatic activity occurred that were associated with over-expression of DNMT3b without changes in DNMT1 expression. Increased DNMT3b expression preceded increased DNMT enzymatic activity. Procainamide, a specific DNMT1 inhibitor, reversed cadmium-induced genomic DNA hypermethylation. Reduced expression of the tumor suppressor genes, RASSF1A and p16, began about the time DNMT3b overexpression first occurred and progressively decreased thereafter. RASSF1A and p16 promoter regions were heavily methylated in CTPE cells, indicating silencing by hypermethylation, while the DNA demethylating agent, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine, reversed this silencing. DNMT1 inhibition only modestly increased RASSF1A and p16 expression in CTPE cells and did not completely reverse silencing.ConclusionsThese data indicate that DNMT3b overexpression can result in generalized DNA hypermethylation and gene silencing but that DNMT1 is required to maintain these effects. The pattern of genomic DNA hypermethylation together with up-regulation of DNMT3b may provide a unique set of biomarkers to specifically identify cadmium-induced human prostate cancers.

An apparent stem cell survival advantage with regard to arsenic causes selection during malignant transformation that manifests itself as an overabundance of CSC-like cells specifically after arsenic-driven acquisition of malignant phenotype. The increased resistance to apoptosis and arsenite hyper-adaptability of WPE-stem cells suggests that arsenite transformation of RWPE-1 cells involves an increase in the number of CSC-like cells.