Sonic and desert hedgehog signaling in human fetal prostate development.
BACKGROUND
Hedgehog signaling is thought to play an important role in rodent prostate organogenesis and morphogenesis. However, the role of this signaling pathway in human fetal prostate development has not been investigated.


METHODS
Twenty-five human fetal prostates at various developmental stages (10-39 weeks) were included. Fifteen specimens were processed for H&E and immunohistochemical staining of the Hedgehog signaling components: Sonic Hedgehog (SHH), Desert Hedgehog (DHH), Patched-1(PTC1), Patched-2 (PTC2), Smoothened (SMO), GLI1, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). SHH, DHH, and GLI1 expression was also analyzed in ten snap-frozen specimens by Western blot.


RESULTS
SHH, DHH, SMO, PTC1, GLI1, and PCNA expression, assessed by a semi-quantitative immunohistochemical method, was found mainly in the developing prostatic epithelial ducts, beginning at 10 weeks and peaking at 16 and 28 weeks with a dip occurring at 20 weeks, with the exception of PTC2.


CONCLUSIONS
Both SHH and DHH signaling components were detected during human fetal prostate development. Despite the high expression of PTC2 in the epithelium as well as the stroma in the early time of development, the expression of SHH, DHH, SMO, PTC1, and a SHH/DHH target transcription factor, GLI-1, were all largely restricted to epithelium in the developing prostate, suggesting that SHH/DHH signaling is primarily through an autocrine mechanism in human fetal prostate organogenesis.
Zhu
Guodong
G
Department of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Zhau
Haiyen E
HE
He
Hui
H
Zhang
Linlin
L
Shehata
Bahig
B
Wang
Xinyang
X
Cerwinka
Wolfgang H
WH
Elmore
James
J
He
Dalin
D
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005865:Gestational Age; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D011467:Prostate / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
D015415:Biomarkers; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; C509239:SHH protein, human