title: Effects of long-term castration on the smooth muscle cell phenotype of the rat ventral prostate.
abstract: Smooth muscle (SM) is an important component of the prostatic stroma. We previously showed that, despite extensive morphologic changes, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of the rat ventral prostate preserve some differentiation markers 21 days after castration. In the present study, we investigated whether the expression of SMC markers is preserved in the rat ventral prostate after long-term castration. Adult Wistar rats were castrated and sacrificed 100 days after surgery. The ventral prostates were processed for histology, stereology, immunocytochemistry (SM alpha-actin and SM-myosin heavy chain [MHC]), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (smoothelin, sm22, and calponin). The prostates of castrated rats showed significant weight reduction, corresponding to only 5.6% of the control. Stereology showed that SMCs occupied the same proportion of the prostate volume but suffered a significant reduction in absolute volume (5.5% of control). The SMCs were retracted and showed spinous outlines. TEM revealed the presence of an abundant myofibrillar component, dense plaques, and an external lamina in these cells. SMCs were reactive to antibodies against SM alpha-actin and SM-MHC and expressed mRNA for smoothelin, sm22, and calponin. The results confirmed that rat prostatic SMCs are affected by androgen deprivation. Although showing marked phenotypic changes, these cells expressed SMC markers at the protein (SM alpha-actin and SM-MHC) and mRNA (smoothelin, sm22, and calponin) levels. These observations support the idea that SMCs may modulate their phenotypes (contractile vs synthetic) without changing their differentiation states.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, UNICAMP, CP6109, 13083-863 Campinas SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eliane
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Antonioli
authors.forename: Alexandre Bruni
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Hernandes F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000728:Androgens / Q000172:deficiency*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000378:metabolism; D009919:Orchiectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D024745:Smooth Muscle Myosins / Q000378:metabolism; D000096985:Calponins
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D000728:Androgens; D015415:Biomarkers; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D024745:Smooth Muscle Myosins; D000096985:Calponins; C491051:Smtn protein, rat; C498862:Acta2 protein, rat; C051615:transgelin