Faculty Collaboration Database

Prolactin is a survival factor for androgen-deprived rat dorsal and lateral prostate epithelium in organ culture. Endocrinology 1999 Nov;140(11):5412-21

Date

10/28/1999

Pubmed ID

10537173

DOI

10.1210/endo.140.11.7090

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0033303824 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   88 Citations

Abstract

PRL is one of several polypeptide factors that regulate growth and differentiation of prostate epithelium besides steroid hormones. This hormone may also participate in the development of pathologic changes of the prostate, as evidenced by marked prostate hyperplasia in hyperprolactinemic mice. We have previously demonstrated expression of PRL receptors and androgen-dependent local production of PRL in rat and human prostate epithelium, suggesting the existence of an autocrine loop. We now show that PRL acts as a survival factor for epithelial cells of rat dorsal and lateral prostate but not ventral prostate, using long-term organ cultures as an in vitro model. Culture of prostate explants in androgen-free medium was associated with a transient surge of apoptosis during the first 2-4 days of culture in rat ventral, dorsal, and lateral prostate tissues, as quantified by either nuclear morphology or in situ DNA fragmentation analysis. PRL significantly inhibited apoptosis in androgen-deprived dorsal and lateral prostate cultures, by 40-60%, as determined by the two methods. The present study has established conditions and methodology for analysis of apoptosis in organ cultures of rat prostate and suggests a physiological role for PRL as a survival factor for prostate epithelium.

Author List

Ahonen TJ, Härkönen PL, Laine J, Rui H, Martikainen PM, Nevalainen MT

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Androgens
Animals
Apoptosis
Culture Media
DNA Fragmentation
Epithelial Cells
Male
Mitosis
Organ Culture Techniques
Prolactin
Prostate
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley