The critical role of androgens in prostate development.

Androgens are involved in every aspect of prostate development, growth, and function from early in male embryogenesis to prostatic hyperplasia in aging men and dogs. Likewise, androgen deprivation at any phase of life causes a decrease in prostate cell number and DNA content. The process by which the circulating androgen testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone in the tissue and dihydrotestosterone in turn gains access to the nucleus where it regulates gene expression, largely via interaction with a receptor protein, is understood, but the downstream control mechanisms by which hormonal signals are translated into differentiation, growth, and function are being unraveled.