ESTABLISHMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF IMMORTALIZED HUMAN CELL-LINES FROM PROSTATIC-CARCINOMA AND BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

New human prostate cell lines were developed from prostatic carcinoma (BRF-41T) and BPH (BRF-55T). Primary cultures were initiated from cell ular outgrowths of explanted tissues. A serum-free medium, BRFF-HPC1, was developed for growing human prostatic cancer cells. Cell strains w ere immortalized with pRSV-T plasmid to generate permanent cell lines that exhibited an epithelial morphology. Both cell lines expressed the epithelial cell markers, cytokeratins 8 and 18 as well as the prostat ic marker, PSA, and the androgen receptor gene. They possess the H-ras , K-raS, and p53 genes. We hope that these new human prostatic cell li nes will be useful as in vitro models for cancer research.