PEAZ-1: A new human prostate neoplastic epithelial cell line

BACKGROUND. The generation of prostatic cell lines provides in vitro models for experimental studies of the pathogenesis of prostate carcinoma. Theref ore, we established and characterized a new human prostate epithelial cell line, PEAZ-1 (prostate epithelial Arizona-1). METHODS. The PEAZ-1 cells were grown from a primary human prostate carcinom a specimen obtained from radical prostatectomy. The isolated cells were cha racterized by immunobiochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and tumorigenicity studies. RESULTS. PEAZ-1 cells are near diploid, tumorigenic, and androgen independe nt for cell growth. PEAZ-1 cells express N-cadherin, alpha- and beta -caten ins, and p120 at cell-cell contacts, cytoplasmic laminin 5, vinculin, paxil lin, and phosphotyrosine at focal adhesions, vimentin, and cytokcratins 8 a nd 18. They do not express plakoglobin, E-cadherin, and PSA, and do not for m desmosomes and hemidesomomes. PEAZ-1 respond to ocadaic acid, a pro-apopt otic agent, by expression of p53. CONCLUSIONS. PEAZ-1 cells is a human prostate cancer cell line that has a n umber of mescnchymal characteristics. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.