Gene expression profile of rat prostate during pubertal growth and maturation

Temporal gene expression profiling can provide valuable insight into mechanisms of differentiation and may be helpful in laying a foundation for characterization of the molecular aspects of development. Prostate development begins in fetal life and is complete at sexual maturity, and androgen stimulation is both necessary and sufficient for development and maturity of the prostate. In this study, we investigated gene expression profiles of rat prostate at 3 different developmental stages (2 weeks, 3.5 weeks, and 8 weeks), when serum testosterone levels are low, intermediate, and high. Through this analysis, we attempted to narrow down genes whose expression is affected by androgen increase during pubertal growth and maturation of the prostate.