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Upregulation of estrogen and androgen receptors modulate expression of FGF-2 and FGF-7 in human, cultured, prostatic stromal cells exposed to high concentrations of estradiol

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases volume 5, pages 105–110 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

This study was performed to develop an experimental model in which expression of estrogen receptors (ER) by human prostatic stromal cells could be reproducibly enhanced relative to similar cells with low ER expression. The second aim was to characterise changes in expression of ER, androgen receptor (AR), FGF-2 and FGF-7 in stromal cells exposed to high and low concentrations of estradiol and testosterone mimicking the different sex hormone levels between young and elderly men. Five strains of human prostatic stromal cells, isolated from BPH resections, were grown in steroid-free medium plus 1 μmol 17β-estradiol. After 10 days, cells were passaged and grown in the same medium without estradiol until confluent. In a second study four cell strains were exposed to high and low concentrations of 17β-estradiol and testosterone for 10 days. Cells were labelled with fluorescent antibodies to ERα, AR, FGF-2 and FGF-7 and the fluorescence intensity measured by flow cytometry. Following exposure to 1 μmol estradiol, stromal cells showed reduced expression of AR and ERα but after passage without estradiol they showed a 25% increase in both receptors over controls. Different combinations of sex hormones induced inconsistent changes with respect to expression of ER, AR and FGFs in the various cell-strains. However, there was a highly significant correlation between AR, ER and FGF-2 and FGF-7, which was cell strain-specific. Thus, changes in sex hormone balance per se may not be solely responsible for the observed increases in prostatic ER levels in BPH. Since expression of ER is correlated with synthesis of FGF-2 and FGF-7, it is likely that increases in stromal ER may mediate the synthesis of stromally-derived growth factors which contribute to the aetiopathogenesis of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a research grant from the North West Cancer Research Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    P Smith, Y Ke & C S Foster

  2. Department of Clinical Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    N P Rhodes

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Smith, P., Rhodes, N., Ke, Y. et al. Upregulation of estrogen and androgen receptors modulate expression of FGF-2 and FGF-7 in human, cultured, prostatic stromal cells exposed to high concentrations of estradiol. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 5, 105–110 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.pcan.4500571

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