IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION OF RABBIT POLYCLONAL ANTIURINARY PROTEIN-1 ANTIBODY IN THE FEMALE (SKENES GLAND) AND MALE PROSTATE - NEW MARKER FOR NEUROENDOCRINE CELLS

Using rabbit polyclonal antiurinary protein 1 antibody to study the fe male prostate (Skene's gland) and the male prostate, characteristic lo calizations patterns appeared in single cells and groups of cells. The majority correspond to cells positive for neuroendocrine markers. In the cytoplasm, cells positive for protein 1 were most frequently found in the epithelial lining of the female urethra, in the pars prostatic a of the male urethra, and in the ducts of the female and male prostat e where the lining consisted of pseudostratified columnar epithelium. Their occurrence rate was far lower among secretory and basal cells of the male and female prostate glands. The cells with protein 1 corresp onded to those displaying positivity for chromogranin A, silver staini ng by the Grimelius and less by the Sevier-Munger method, and by neuro n specific enolase. Using the Masson-Hamperl argentaffin method, posit ive cells were only exceptionally found. The cells positive for protei n 1, and particularly chromogranin A, and characterized by Grimelius p ositivity, contained different amounts of neuroendocrine granules and varied in size and shape. The majority of these cells had contact with the lumen of male and female prostatic ducts (open type of neuroendoc rine cells). In some cases of the male and female urethra and of the g reat paraurethral ducts, a remarkably high number of cells containing protein 1 corresponded to cells only containing neuron-specific enolas e but not chromogranin A and other neuroendocrine markers. These cells can be considered stem cells responsible for the renewal of the uroep ithelium of the urethra and prostatic ducts. Protein 1 may thus be a f urther, though presumably not specific marker for the identification o f cells of the neuroendocrine system in the prostate of the male and f emale. This marker could well be used to study uroepithelium maturatio n. The corresponding immunohistochemical distribution of human protein 1 in neuroendocrine and other cells of the male and the female prosta te provides another analogous functional and morphological parameter o f prostatic tissue in both sexes and further evidence supporting the n on-vestigial concept of the prostate in the female.