Department of Urology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
Department of Comparative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Dev Biol. 2021 May;473:50-58. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.11.012. Epub 2021 Jan 30.
The prostate develops by epithelial budding and branching processes that occur during fetal and postnatal stages. The adult prostate demonstrates remarkable regenerative capacity, with the ability to regrow to its original size over multiple cycles of castration and androgen administration. This capacity for controlled regeneration prompted the search for an androgen-independent epithelial progenitor in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa). BPH is hypothesized to be a reawakening of ductal branching, resulting in the formation of new proximal glands, all while androgen levels are decreasing in the aging male. Advanced prostate cancer can be slowed with androgen deprivation, but resistance eventually occurs, suggesting the existence of an androgen-independent progenitor. Recent studies indicate that there are multiple castration-insensitive epithelial cell types in the proximal area of the prostate, but not all act as progenitors during prostate development or regeneration. This review highlights how recent cellular and anatomical studies are changing our perspective on the identity of the prostate progenitor.
前列腺通过上皮芽生和分支过程发育，这些过程发生在胎儿和出生后阶段。成年前列腺表现出显著的再生能力，能够在多次去势和雄激素给药循环中恢复到原来的大小。这种受控再生的能力促使人们在良性前列腺增生（BPH）和前列腺癌（PCa）中寻找雄激素非依赖性上皮祖细胞。BPH 被假设为导管分支的重新觉醒，导致新的近端腺体形成，而雄激素水平在老年男性中下降。雄激素剥夺可以减缓晚期前列腺癌的进展，但最终会产生耐药性，这表明存在雄激素非依赖性祖细胞。最近的研究表明，前列腺近端区域存在多种去势不敏感的上皮细胞类型，但并非所有类型在前列腺发育或再生过程中都作为祖细胞发挥作用。本综述强调了最近的细胞和解剖学研究如何改变我们对前列腺祖细胞的认识。
