CELL-KINETICS OF PROSTATE EXOCRINE AND NEUROENDOCRINE EPITHELIUM AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAL INTERRELATIONSHIP - NEW PERSPECTIVES

The prostate gland consists of a complex ductal system lined with Exoc rine basal and luminal cells, and neuroendocrine epithelial cells. Thi s paper reviews the histologic and molecular cell biologic characteris tics of these cells, in normal adult tissue, during prostate morphogen esis, and in the development of benign and malignant neoplastic condit ions. Expression of differentiation markers, as well as proliferation and apoptosis markers, growth factors and associated receptors, and ab normalities in genes and chromosomes are reviewed. Accumulating data i ndicate that (1) pluripotent immortal stem cells are located in the ba sal cell compartment of the prostate; (2) there is a subpopulation of epithelial cells in the prostate gland (intermediate cells) that have both structural and functional characteristics common to basal and lum inal cells, which may be identified in various conditions; and prostat e NE cells may have the same common origin as other exocrine cells, an d share the same differentiation pathway. A stem cell model is propose d in which both exocrine and endocrine cells are derived from a subpop ulation of basal cells (stem cell) that give rise to luminal cells thr ough intermediate cells (pluripotent amplifying cells). These cells ar e also probably highly implicated in the early development of prostate benign and malignant neoplasia. Prostate Supplement 8:62-73, 1998. (C ) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.