Cell biological studies of primary and metastatic tumors of the rat prostate

The widespread occurrence and high mortality rate in older men associated with disseminated adenocarcinoma of the prostate provide a strong impetus for basic studies of the normal and neoplastic prostate gland. The present studies have been undertaken with the objective of gaining a fuller appreciation of histo- and cytologic interrelationships between metaplastic prostatic tumors and their host organs.The Dunning rat adenocarcinoma has provided a model for some years for the study of primary prostatic tumors, and recently a tumor subline has been identified which preferentially metastasizes to lung (Dr. David M. Lubaroff, U. IA). Cells of the metastatic subline colonize lung following intravenous injection, and produce widespread lesions within the lung parenchyma, and deep to the visceral pleura, in a matter of weeks. Correlative light microscopic (LM), transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscopic studies have been conducted of both the primary Dunning tumor, and the metastatic lesions within lung, using routine preparative techniques. Morphological examination has been conducted in concert with immunocytochemical localization of components of the extracellular matrix, within both lung and tumor, and with studies of the growth and attachment characteristics of tumor cells cultured in wells coated with such extracellular matrix components as fibronectin, laminin, and collagen types I and IV.

Adenylate kinase: an oncodevelopmental marker in an animal model for human prostatic cancer.

Data are presented demonstrating that adenylate kinase (AK; EC 2.7.4.3) is an oncodevelopmental enzyme in the prostate of Copenhagen rats. We selected the Dunning tumor (dorsal rat prostate) as a model system because it most nearly approximates the human pathology. Four sublines of the tumor (R3327-H, R3327-AT, MAT Lu, and MAT LyLu) were studied. The tumor sublines were maintained as solid tumors in syngeneic rats and as monolayers in tissue culture. AK activity appeared in conjunction with malignant transformation of the dorsal prostate. We also determined the normal developmental enzyme pattern: AK was present in prostates of newborns, but was undetectable in prostates of adults. However, AK increased after castration. Therefore, we propose AK as a potential oncofetal tumor marker in prostatic cancer.