Immortalized Human Prostate Stromal Cells (PM151T) – hTERT

Prostate cancer research has been hindered by the fact that the cell types involved in the process of malignant transformation have proven difficult to develop into continuously growing cultures. Stromal smooth muscle cells established in primary culture after radical prostatectomy from a 62-year-old patient were subjected to retroviral infection with human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT), thus creating Immortalized Human Prostate Stromal Cells (PM151T) – hTERT. These cells were able to proliferate for at least 190 days, express genes associated with smooth muscle function (progesterone receptor, estrogen receptor-β, androgen receptor, smooth muscle-myosin heavy chain, calponin, SM22, smooth muscle α-actin and myocardin) and exhibit up-regulation for some of these markers as well as contractile behavior upon induction of differentiation. The generation of this cell line by way of a method that minimizes complex alterations results in a faithful in vitro model for the prostate, offering a tool for the study of not only normal development and physiology, but also the steps leading to malignancy. Characterization by Western blot, qRT-PCR, and transforming growth factor-β/endothelin A treatment.