title: In vitro studies of human prostatic epithelial cells: attempts to identify distinguishing features of malignant cells.
abstract: Recent advances in culture techniques have enabled routine establishment and propagation of epithelial cells derived from normal and malignant tissues of the human prostate. Comparative studies of the responses of normal and cancer-derived cell populations to various growth and differentiation factors in vitro were undertaken to examine the possibility that cancer cells might respond differentially. Clonal growth assays in serum-free medium demonstrated that optimal proliferation of normal as well as cancer cell strains was generally dependent on the presence of cholera toxin, epidermal growth factor, pituitary extract, hydrocortisone, insulin, and high levels of calcium in the culture medium, and on the use of collagen-coated dishes. Only one cancer strain responded aberrantly to epidermal growth factor and hydrocortisone. Putative differentiation factors (transforming growth factor-beta and vitamin A) inhibited the growth of all normal and cancer strains. The origin of a cancer-derived cell strain that responded similarly to normal strains was verified by positive labeling with a prostate cancer-specific antibody, validating the conclusion from these studies that normal and cancer prostatic epithelial cells are not distinguishable on the basis of responses to the tested factors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Stanford Medical Center, California 94305.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Peehl
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bazinet
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Stamey
mesh_terms: D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D011467:Prostate / Q000166:cytology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D015291:Transforming Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007328:Insulin; D014212:Tretinoin; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D015291:Transforming Growth Factors; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D002118:Calcium; D006854:Hydrocortisone