First published online September 30, 2004
Development 131, 2001e (2004)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Prostate stem cell located?
Both of the main epithelial cell types of the prostate – luminal and
basal cells – develop from the urogenital sinus (UGS), but the cell
lineage relationship between the two cell types is unclear. On p.
4955, Kurita et al.
show that p63, a p53 tumour suppressor homologue, is essential for the
differentiation of prostatic basal cells in mice, but that luminal cells
develop independently of basal cells. The researchers transplanted UGSs from
p63-/- mice, which die perinatally, into adult male nude
mice, and show that the prostatic tissue formed by these grafts contains
neuroendocrine and luminal cells but no basal cells. Some luminal cells
transform into mucinous cells, indicating that basal cells are needed to
maintain luminal cell differentiation. Finally, p63-/-
grafts can regenerate after the host mice are castrated, suggesting that the
mouse prostatic luminal epithelium contains self-renewing stem cells that
could be the target of carcinogenesis.
Related articles in Development:
- Role of p63 and basal cells in the prostate
- Takeshi Kurita, Roanna T. Medina, Alea A. Mills, and Gerald R. Cunha
Development 2004 131: 4955-4964.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
