title: Aging in the AXC/SSh rat: characterization of moderately abundant ventral prostate proteins showing age-dependent diminution and one protein exhibiting age-invariant content.
abstract: To determine whether prior demonstrations of age-related decrements in prostate content of minor, androgen regulated proteins represent a generalized phenomenon, we validated a denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic protocol for separation and quantification of moderately abundant ventral prostate cytoplasmic proteins. We established age-related, progressive 3- to 3.5-fold decreases in prostate content of proteins of 90, 79, 63, and 58 kDa and found that content of a 46 kDa protein was age-invariant. The amount of 90 and 46 kDa proteins was not significantly altered, whereas the level of 79, 63 and 58 kDa proteins decreased during 72 h post-orchiectomy of 3-month-old rats. Testosterone injection of intact 26-month-old rats caused an average 2-fold increase in 90, 79, 63, and 58 kDa protein content and did not affect 46 kDa protein level. Because we demonstrated the 46 kDa protein is not a secretory protein, absence of an affect of aging or testosterone on prostate content is not due to secretion mediated inaccessibility to intracellular processing. The apparent relation between age and prostate content of these proteins is not a consequence of potential age-related changes in ventral prostate cell content or distribution because biochemical and histologic analyses show this does not significantly occur. Our studies establish age-related decreases in ventral prostate content of moderately abundant, androgen responsive proteins and show that content of at least one protein is age- and androgen-independent. It remains to be determined whether these findings reflect direct effects of gene regulation.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011467:Prostate / Q000032:analysis*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000502:physiology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D013739:Testosterone