Investigations of mechanisms of human prostate carcinogenesis are limi
ted by the unavailability of a suitable in vitro model system. We have
demonstrated that an immortal, but nontumorigenic, human epithelial c
ell line (267B1) established from fetal prostate tissue can be maligna
ntly transformed by a biological carcinogen, and can serve as a useful
model for investigations of the progression steps of carcinogenesis.
Activated Ki-ras was introduced into 267B1 cells by infection with the
Kirsten murine sarcoma virus. Morphological alterations and anchorage
-independent growth were observed; when cells were injected into nude
mice, poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas developed. These findings
represent the first evidence of malignant transformation of human pros
tate epithelial cells in culture, and support a role for Ki-ras activa
tion in a multistep process for prostate neoplastic transformation. (C
) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.