title: Density dependent polarized secretion of a prostatic epithelial cell line.
abstract: The polarized secretions (apical/basal) of newly synthesized total protein and proteases from prostatic epithelial sheets of PA-III cells grown in dual compartment chambers were investigated at various cell densities and culture conditions. PA-III cells grown in a serum free defined medium (SFDM) form morphologically polarized monolayers of epithelial cells. These cells secreted their 35S-methionine labeled total protein in a predominantly apical direction (apical/basal ratio, 4-8 fold), with a lesser proportion of protein secreted apically at lower cell densities of the PA-III cell monolayer. PA-III cells grown in 5% fetal calf serum (FCS) are morphologically squamous, comparable to the anaplastic phenotype, and exhibited an inversion of polarized total protein secretion (apical/basal ratio, 0.4-0.9 fold), with an increased proportion of total protein secreted in a basal direction at lower cell densities. Since the culture of PA-III cells in FCS may approximate the anaplastic phenotype we investigated the polarized secretion of proteases from these cells at various cell densities, and compared them with the secretory pattern of protease secretion from polarized PA-III cells cultured in SFDM. At lower cell densities of the PA-III cells grown in FCS the polarity of protease secretion was inverted such that metalloproteinases, tissue type plasminogen activator, and a 72 kD gelatinase were secreted in a predominantly basal direction, as well as urokinase and a gelatinase of 26 kD that were secreted more or less equally into the apical and basal compartments of the chambers. On the other hand, for cultures of PA-III cells grown in SFDM the aforementioned proteases exhibited predominantly an apically directed polarity of secretion. These results suggest that the anaplastic phenotype characterized by a loss of polarized structure may also be characterized by a functional loss or inversion of polarized secretion. The consequences of such a loss or inversion of polarized secretion would be to increase the localized concentrations of proteases along the basal domain of cells thereby facilitating degradation of the basement membrane and interstitial tissue in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Djakiew
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pflug
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delsite
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onoda
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D010450:Endopeptidases