Prostate epithelial stem and progenitor cells.
The classic androgen ablation and replacement experiment demonstrates that prostate epithelia possess extensive regenerative capacities and implies the existence of the prostate stem/progenitor cells. These cells may serve as the cells of origin for prostate cancer and their intrinsic property may dictate the clinical behaviors of the resulting diseases. Therefore, detailed characterization of these cells will potentially benefit disease prevention, diagnosis and prognosis. In this review, we describe several major in vitro and in vivo approaches that have been employed in the studies of the prostate stem cell activities, summarize the major progress that has been made during the last two decades regarding the identity of prostate stem/progenitor cells and their niches, and discuss some remaining outstanding questions in the field.
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine USA.
Oh-Joon
OJ
Kwon
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine USA ; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine USA ; Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine USA ; Baylor College of Medicine One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Li
L
Xin
Prostate stem cells; lineage hierarchy; lineage tracing; niche; plasticity; prostate regeneration