Terminally differentiating epithelial tissues in primary explant culture: a model of growth and development.
Many epithelial tissues are characterized by the presence of basal cells which serve the dual roles of self-renewal and of progression through terminal differentiation, to a functional state. Such tissues, when grown in vitro as primary explants, exhibit a characteristic pattern of outgrowth and development which includes both renewal and efforts toward normal differentiation. The degree of differentiation achieved depends upon conditions of culture and may be modulated in a variety of ways. The human prostate constitutes such a system and offers numerous possibilities for investigating basic control mechanisms in growth and development. Information on a variety of epithelial tissues is reviewed and experimental results using human prostate tissue are presented.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk 23501.
D J
DJ
Merchant
D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological