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Establishment and characterization of an immortalized but non-transformed human prostate epithelial cell line: BPH-1

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Summary

This report describes the development and characterization of an epithelial cell line (BPH-1) from human prostate tissue obtained by transurethral resection. Primary epithelial cell cultures were immortalized with SV40 large T antigen. One of the isolated clones was designated BPH-1. These cells have a cobblestone appearance in monolayer culture and are non-tumorigenic in nude mice following subcutaneous injection or subrenal capsule grafting. They express the SV40 large T antigen and exhibit increased levels of p53, as determined by immunocytochemistry. Cytogenetic analysis by G-banding demonstrated an aneuploid karyotype with a modal chromosome number of 76 (range 71 to 79,n=28) and 6 to 8 marker chromosomes. Some structurally rearranged chromosomes were observed, but the Y chromosome was normal. The expressed cytokeratin profile was consistent with a prostatic luminal epithelial cell. This profile was the same as that of primary prostatic epithelial cultures from which the BPH-1 cells were derived. In serum-free culture in plastic dishes epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-α, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 1 (aFGF), and FGF 7 (KGF) induced increased proliferation in these cells whereas FGF 2 (bFGF), TGF-β1, and TGF-β2 inhibited proliferative activity. Testosterone had no direct effect on the proliferative rate of BPH-1 cells. 5α-Reductase, 3α-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase, and 17β-hydroxy-steroid oxidoreductase activities were detected in BPH-1 cells. Expression of androgen receptors and the secretory markers, prostate specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase, were not detectable by immunocytochemistry, biochemical assay, or RT-PCR analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, University of California, 94143-0452, San Francisco, San Francisco, California

    S. W. Hayward & G. R. Cunha

  2. Department of Urology, University of California, 94143-0452, San Francisco, San Francisco, California

    R. Dahiya & P. Narayan

  3. Department of Surgery, Luton and Dunstable Hospital, LU4 0DZ, Luton, Bedfordshire, U.K.

    N. Deshpande

  4. Danish Cancer Society, Division for Cancer Biology, Strandboulevarden 49, opg. 7.1, 3.fl., DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    J. Bartek

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Hayward, S.W., Dahiya, R., Cunha, G.R. et al. Establishment and characterization of an immortalized but non-transformed human prostate epithelial cell line: BPH-1. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol - Animal 31, 14–24 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02631333

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