Dl. Hudson et al., Epithelial cell differentiation pathways in the human prostate: Identification of intermediate phenotypes by keratin expression, J HIST CYTO, 49(2), 2001, pp. 271-278
The prostate grows slowly throughout adult life, leading to benign prostati
c hyperplasia (BPH), which often results in urethral obstruction in later y
ears. The symptoms of BPH are the second most common reason for surgery in
men over 65. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship betwee
n cell proliferation and cell differentiation in BPH tissue. Using multiple
antibodies, simultaneously detected with different fluorophore-conjugated
secondary antibodies, several subpopulations of epithelial cells were detec
ted. In addition to K14, basal cells also expressed keratins 15, 17, and 19
in Various combinations, and some of the luminal cells also expressed K19
together with K8 and K18. Co-staining for cytokeratins and Ki-67 indicated
that 44% of proliferative cells expressed K14 and 36% K19, although the dif
ference was not statistically significant. This report provides a detailed
description of the relationship between keratin expression and cell prolife
ration in the prostate and indicates that K19-positive cells form the link
between the basal and luminal layers of the epithelium.