Background. Prostate cancer causes approximately 40,000 deaths in the Unite
d States annually (1,2). Adenocarcinoma of the prostate occurs primarily in
two species: human and dog (3,4). Although less common in dogs, the etiolo
gic factors responsible for spontaneous canine prostate cancer are presumab
ly the same as for humans. Given the similar etiology and epidemiology of t
he disease among the two species, a model of canine prostate epithelial cel
ls would be a powerful tool to study the disease. Methods. Prostate epithel
ial cells were isolated from a sexually intact adult beagle, and primary cu
ltures established. Epithelial clones were immortalized by transfection wit
h the Simian Virus 40 large T-antigen cDNA. Cells were characterized using
immunohistochemical techniques. Results. The immortal prostate epithelial c
ell line expresses cytokeratin-18, and prostatic acid phosphatase, markers
specific for prostate epithelial cells. K-9PE-I, a stable, fast growing can
ine prostate epithelial cell line is available for further study. Conclusio
ns. A cell based model of canine prostate epithelium was isolated immortali
zed, and characterized The cell line will be available for futher study of
prostate disease.