BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to attempt to characterize changes in in vitro growth rates and cellular phenotypes of @entity1 prostatic stroma associated with aging and/or development of @entity1067 ( @entity1067 ). METHODS: Prostate stromal cell strains were established from 12 tissue donors of varying age. Culture growth rate was determined by cell counts over a 6-day period. Cell phenotype was assessed by immunocytochemical staining for smooth muscle alpha-actin, smooth muscle @entity3999 , and @entity10783 -4-hydroxylase. RESULTS: Growth rates of prostate stromal strains in vitro varied. Stromal cells derived from aged males with @entity1067 had significantly slower growth rates than cells from younger donors. A positive reaction for @entity10783 -4-hydroxylase, a mesenchymal cell marker, was present in all cell cultures regardless of donor age. Expression of smooth muscle-specific actin, a nonspecific smooth muscle cell marker, was present in 48-79% of prostate stromal cultures. Staining for smooth muscle @entity3999 , a specific smooth muscle cell marker, was found to vary significantly with age. The percentage of smooth muscle @entity3999 -positive cells derived from males aged 15, 45, 57, and 72 years were 0.70 +/- 0.14%, 2.12 +/- 0.30%, 4.20 +/- 0.89%, and 26.25 +/- 1.0%, respectively. The shape and size of actin- and/or @entity3999 -positive stromal cells from a 72-year-old donor culture were also usually larger and polygonal in shape as compared to thin and elongated shapes in 15-year-old donor cultures. The shape of actin- and/or @entity3999 -positive cells from a 45-year-old donor culture demonstrated both phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that in @entity1 prostate stromal cells cultured as described, the growth rate decreases, the percent of smooth muscle cells increases, and the cellular shape changes with increasing donor age and/or development of @entity1067 .

Differential growth rates in stromal cultures of @entity1 prostate derived from XXXX of varying ages.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human'] @entity1067 :: ('MESH:D011470', 'Disease') :: ['benign prostatic hyperplasia', 'BPH'] @entity3999 :: ('79784', 'Gene') :: ['myosin'] @entity10783 :: ('CHEBI:26274', 'Chemical') :: ['prolyl']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['patients']
