Background:
We demonstrated that p53-deficiency is sufficient for immortalization of fetal uterine cells. in the present study, we further extended our previous observations to prostate tissues from a young p53-deficient adult mouse.
Methods:
Cell lines were established from the ventral prostate of a p53-deficient male mouse and maintained in medium containing 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum supplemented with insulin (10 microg/ml), transferrin (10 microg/ml), cholera toxin (10 ng/ml), and selenium (10(-8) m).
Results:
Pro9ad, one of the lines established, exhibits a typical epithelial morphology in culture. despite the possession of androgen receptors, the growth of pro9ad was not stimulated by 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone. hepatocyte growth factor (hgf) slightly stimulated proliferation, whereas fibroblast growth factor-1 (fgf-1), keratinocyte growth factor (kgf), and platelet-derived growth factor ab (pdgf-ab) had no stimulating effect on growth. however, fgf-2, epidermal growth factor (egf), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (igf-1) accelerated proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. egf and igf-1 additively stimulated growth.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that pro9ad shares characteristics in common with primary prostatic epithelial cells despite p53-deficiency, and that p53-deficiency alone allows establishment of clonal cell lines of the prostate epithelium. furthermore, the prostates of p53-deficient mice are useful sources for obtaining cell lines.