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Defining cell lineages in the prostate epithelium.
Sabina Signoretti1, Massimo Loda
1Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. ssignoretti@partners.org
Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.)
|December 17, 2005
Summary
Prostate secretory cells develop from basal cells, which are identified as prostate stem cells during development. Further research will explore if these basal cells maintain stem cell properties in adult prostates.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Prostate glands contain basal, secretory, and neuroendocrine epithelial cells.
- The hierarchical relationships between these prostate cell types have been debated.
- Understanding cell differentiation is key to identifying carcinogenesis origins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define prostate epithelial cell lineages in vivo.
- To elucidate the origins of secretory cells in the developing prostate.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel in vivo system for lineage tracing.
- Analysis of cell differentiation pathways during prostate organogenesis.
Main Results:
- Terminally differentiated secretory cells originate from p63-positive basal cells.
- p63-positive basal cells are identified as prostate stem cells during organogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Prostate secretory cell development is directed by p63-positive basal stem cells.
- Future studies are needed to confirm stem cell potential of basal cells in adult prostate epithelium.