Engineered FGF-2 expression induces glandular epithelial hyperplasia in the murine prostatic dorsal lobe.
OBJECTIVE
It is known that androgens and stromal-epithelial interactions are required for the formation and growth of the prostate. FGF-2 is overexpressed in prostatic stromal cells in benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)/prostate cancer. This supports the paracrine/autocrine growth of prostatic epithelial/stromal cells in the pathogenesis of BPH and invasive prostate cancer.


METHODS
We established transgenic mice expressing FGF-2 under the control of a short rat probasin promotor. FGF-2 transgenic founder mice expressing FGF-2 in the prostate were infertile. Thus, male founder mice were sacrificed for histological analysis.


RESULTS
FGF-2 was expressed in epithelial cells in glands of the dorsal, lateral, and ventral prostatic lobes of two FGF-2 transgenic founder mice, but not in the anterior lobe of transgenic mice or in any lobe of non-transgenic control littermates. Acinar epithelial glands in dorsal prostatic lobes of FGF-2 transgenic mice expressing FGF-2 were more dense and showed simple papillary hyperplasia of epithelial cells compared with those of control littermate mice. Glandular and luminal enlargement without epithelial growth was observed in the ventral lobe of FGF-2 transgenic mice compared with the controls.


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, FGF-2 transgenic mice under the control of rat probasin promoter showed simple epithelial hyperplasia in glands of the prostatic dorsal lobe and glandular enlargement without epithelial growth in the prostatic ventral lobe.
Konno-Takahashi
Naoko
N
Department of Urology and Andrology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
Takeuchi
Takumi
T
Nishimatsu
Hiroaki
H
Kamijo
Toshiyuki
T
Tomita
Kyoichi
K
Schalken
Jack A
JA
Teshima
Shinichi
S
Kitamura
Tadaichi
T
D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology
D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2