This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jhc.7A7192.2007v1 55/9/885    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Letellier, G. Articles by Fromont, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Letellier, G. Articles by Fromont, G. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Epithelial Phenotypes in the Developing Human Prostate

Guy Letellier, Marie-José Perez, Mokrane Yacoub, Pierre Levillain, Olivier Cussenot and Gaëlle Fromont

Services de Pédiatrie (GL,M-JP) et d'Anatomie Pathologique (MY,PL,GF), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire–Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France, and INSERM EMI 03-37, Créteil, France (OC,GF)

Correspondence to: Gaëlle Fromont, MD, PhD, Service d'Anatomie Pathologique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Jean Bernard Rue de la Miletrie, 86000 Poitiers, France. E-mail: g.fromont{at}chu-poitiers.fr

An intermediate population has been identified among prostate glands called transiently amplifying (TA) cells, which are characterized by coexpression of basal and luminal cytokeratins (CKs), high proliferation, and lack of p27 expression. These cells are rare in the normal adult prostate and increase in pretumoral conditions, but their importance in the developing gland remains unknown. We analyzed fetal prostates for the expression of CKs (5/6, 18, 19) and factors involved in proliferation and apoptosis: p63, Ki67, p27, epidermal growth factor (EGFR), Bcl2, androgen receptor (AR). Immunostaining was performed on a tissue microarray, including 40 prostates from fetuses aged 13–42 weeks and normal prostate tissue from 10 adults. In both solid buds and the basal compartment of canalized glands, cells expressed p63, CK5/6, CK19, CK18, BCL2, EGFR and were p27 negative. Luminal cells of fetal canalized glands continue to express CK19, EGFR, and BCL2, without p27 expression. In contrast, adult epithelial luminal cells showed diffuse AR and p27 expression, without CK19, BCL2, and EGFR staining. Proliferation was high and diffuse in fetal glands and rare and restricted to basal cells in adult glands. These results indicate that most fetal epithelial prostatic cells exhibit the phenotype of TA cells, suggesting their regulatory function in prostate development. (J Histochem Cytochem 55:885–890, 2007)

Key Words: development • differentiation • human prostate • immunohistochemistry • tissue array analysis

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact

The Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry is owned, published, and licensed by The Histochemical Society © 2007