Androgen‐independent epithelial cells of the rat ventral prostate

Abstract

Androgen-independent cell lines have been clonally selected from primary cultures of androgen-dependent epithelial cells from the rat ventral prostate. These rapidly dividing epithelial-like cells (RDE) have altered morphology and adherence characteristics. Unlike normal prostate epithelial cells, the RDE cell lines do not require androgens for cell division or cell survival. In the presence of physiological concentrations of testosterone, the isoelectric focusing patterns of prostatic acid phosphatases are abnormal in these RDE cells, and the prostate steroid-binding protein genes are not expressed. The loss of androgen dependence is not due to the inability of RDE cells to metabolize testosterone to 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, the active androgen, since the RDE cell lines metabolize testosterone in a manner similar to normal androgen-dependent epithelial cells. When RDE cells are grown on collagen matrices, the cells assume ductlike structures, similar to prostatic acini, although PSBP gene expression is not induced. When seeded into soft agar these cell lines form distinct foci, suggesting that they are potentially tumorigenic.

Apoptosis and nuclear shapes in benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate adenocarcinoma: Comparison with and relation to Gleason score

“…16,19,20 Nuclear morphology is an important factor used to differentiate a benign cell from a malignant cell and nuclear abnormalities are pathological hallmarks of cancer. 21 Nuclear abnormalities are crucial in predicting the malignancy potential for an individual tumor.…”

Stem Cells and Prostate Cancer

“…The regenerative capacity has been attributed to a population of long lived SCs within adult prostate epithelium that are thought not androgen-dependent for survival, but androgensensitive and androgen-responsive. Apoptosis occurs mostly in androgen-dependent luminal cell epithelium, while the androgen-independent basal cells generally remain unaffected [15]. In accordance with this, the regenerative capacity is referred to the action of basal SCs, while the harbor of these self-renewing cells is confined to the basal-cell layer [14,16].…”

Stem cells in prostate cancer: treating the root of the problem

“…Adult prostatic stem cells were originally postulated to reside within the basal cell compartment because of the ability of the prostatic epithelium to regress and regenerate from residual basal cells after repeated Kyprianou & Isaacs 1988, Montpetit et al 1988, Verhagen et al 1988. Biologically, basal cells exhibit many stem cell characteristics, including their relatively undifferentiated state, high proliferative capacity, protection from apoptosis, and a long life span (Potten & Loeffler 1990, Bonkhoff et al 1994, De Marzo et al 1998, Foster et al 2002.…”

“…Prostatic basal cells demonstrate low levels of AR but are androgen responsive, as demonstrated by regeneration of the prostatic tissue from basal cells during re-administration of testosterone after castration in rodents (Montpetit et al 1988, Verhagen et al 1988, Bonkhoff & Remberger 1993, De Marzo et al 1998. Basal cells that show stem cell properties, based on Sca-1 C cells in mouse and CD133 C cells in human, also express low or no AR expression compared to their negative counterparts (Wang et al 2006, Heer et al 2007 Uzgare et al 2004).…”