Single-cell analysis reveals alternations between the aged and young mice prostates

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Molecular Biology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Male prostate aging leads to hyperplasia, urethral compression, and increased prostate cancer risk.
• Molecular mechanisms underlying prostate aging remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the cellular and molecular changes in the aging mouse prostate using single-cell RNA sequencing.
• To identify age-related alterations in gene expression and cellular dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of prostate tissues from young and aged mice.
• Unsupervised clustering (UMAP) and differential gene expression analysis.
• Functional enrichment, cellular interaction, and trajectory analyses.

Main Results:

• Significant increase in mesenchymal and immune cells in aged prostates.
• Alterations in senescence, oxidative stress, and regeneration pathways in epithelial cells.
• Evidence of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in basal cells and heightened immune cell inflammation in aged mice.

Conclusions:

• Comparative single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals key cellular and molecular differences between young and aged mouse prostates.
• Identified cellular dynamics and molecular pathways involved in prostate aging.