A simple cell culture assay for human prostatic branching morphogenesis spotlights Bone Morphogenetic Protein signaling as a therapeutic target in benign prostatic hyperplasia

A histologic hallmark of BPH is glandular epithelial hyperplasia with new ductal branching morphogenesis. The stromal inductive factors driving tissue morphogenesis may provide new therapeutic targets, but are incompletely known due in part to a paucity of cell culture model systems.

We thus sought to create a reliable cell culture assay for human prostatic branching morphogenesis. Various combinations of input cells, cell densities and cell culture medium were trialed. A robust solution comprised embedding BHPrE1 immortalized human prostatic epithelial cells in Matrigel, together with an inductive source of BPH stromal fibroblasts or their conditioned medium.