Polypeptide modulators of prostatic growth and development.

Normal and abnormal developmental events in the prostate are strongly influenced by androgens. There is abundant evidence, however, that androgens are not the only substances present that have the capacity to influence prostatic growth. A number of polypeptides that either stimulate or inhibit growth have now been identified in the prostate. These include members of the HBGF family, TGF-beta family, EGF and TGF-alpha, PDGF, NGF, and the less well characterized osteoblast growth factors. In some cases, the prostatic cell population, stromal or epithelial, that synthesizes the growth factor and its receptor is known. This information and the properties of the growth factors suggest ways in which these polypeptides may be involved in regulating growth of the prostate, including benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.