IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF EXPLANT CULTURES OF HUMAN PROSTATIC STROMAL CELLS

The study of stromal-epithelial interactions greatly depends on the ab ility to culture both cell types separately, in order to permit analys is of their interactions under defined conditions in reconstitution ex periments. Here we report the establishment of explant cultures of hum an prostatic stromal cells and their immunocytochemical characterizati on. As determined by antibodies to keratin and prostate specific acid phosphatase, only small numbers (<5%) of epithelial cells were present in primary cultures; subsequent passaging further reduced epithelial cell contamination. Antibodies against intermediate filament proteins (keratins, vimentin, and desmin) and smooth muscle actin microfilament s demonstrated that stromal cells from benign prostatic hyperplasia an d prostate carcinoma differed in regard to their differentiation marke rs. Two contrasting phenotypes were identified in cultures derived fro m these two different lesions: One, exhibiting fibroblastic features, was predominant in cultures derived from benign lesions and a second, showing varying degrees of smooth muscle differentiation, was more abu ndant in carcinoma-derived cultures. These findings are indicative of a remarkable divergence in the stromal-epithelial relationships associ ated with these pathological conditions and may provide us with a pote ntial tool for studying these processes. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.