Newly Found Prostate Cell Type May Explain Why the Gland Grows With Age

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say they have found a distinct type of cell in the prostate that may help explain why the gland tends to enlarge as men get older, according to ScienceAlert. The cells are concentrated in the one region where the enlargement usually happens, and they could eventually become targets for new drugs.

The authors stress that the link is still a hypothesis. The work, published in The Journal of Pathology, points to a suspect but does not yet show that these cells cause the problem.

What is benign prostatic hyperplasia, and why is it puzzling?

The age-related enlargement is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. It usually develops in a single area, called the transition zone, which surrounds the urethra. When that area grows, it can narrow the passage and make urination slower and more sporadic. ScienceAlert described BPH as the most common prostate problem in men older than age 50.

Despite how common it is, scientists have not pinned down why it happens at the cellular level. Changes in hormone levels, inflammation and cell growth probably play a part, according to the report. Senior author Vasan Yegnasubramanian said researchers still do not fully understand why BPH arises mainly in the transition zone while other regions of the gland stay relatively unaffected.

Charles Welliver, a urologist at Albany Medical College who was not involved in the study, has explained that BPH is not a matter of swelling. In his words, the condition is an increase in the number of cells, not in their size.

How the team found the cells

The researchers used a technique called single-cell RNA sequencing, which reveals which genes are switched on or off in each individual cell. They studied noncancerous prostate tissue from 10 men who had prostate cancer, with samples taken from the three major zones of the gland. In all, they examined nearly 130,000 individual cells.

In tissue from the transition zone, and in samples affected by BPH, the team spotted a group of cells that was rare elsewhere in the prostate. These cells are a subtype of basal cells known as WIF1+ cells. The researchers describe them as distinct from the other members of the basal cell family, both in their gene activity and in where they sit in the gland.

Some of the genes linked to these cells respond to androgens such as testosterone and take part in signaling pathways that influence how the prostate grows and develops. When the team looked at publicly available datasets, they found that tissue from enlarged prostates was also rich in WIF1+ basal cells, and that the gene signature of those cells was noticeably altered.

What the authors think the cells may be doing

In their paper, the authors wrote that the cells' molecular signature, their distribution across zones and the pathways involved suggest they may contribute to BPH by promoting remodeling of the gland's tissue. First author Rulin Wang said the cells carry features tied to tissue remodeling and can communicate with neighboring cells, which may help create the particular biological environment of the transition zone.

The team also speculated about a possible flip side. By dampening inflammation and a growth-signaling pathway called WNT, the cells might help explain why prostate cancer starts less often in the transition zone. That idea, too, remains unproven.

Why it matters for men and their doctors

For now, the finding is basic science, and nothing in it changes how BPH is diagnosed or treated today. Its significance is that it offers a concrete lead on a common condition whose root cause has been unclear. The study was based on tissue from a small group of men, and the authors describe the role of WIF1+ cells as something that deserves further investigation, not a settled conclusion.

If later work shows that these cells play a direct part in BPH, they could become future drug targets, ScienceAlert reported. That would give researchers a new place to aim treatments for a condition that affects millions of men worldwide.

What happens next

Wang and colleagues say the next step is to study what WIF1+ basal cells actually do in the development of an enlarged prostate. Those experiments would test whether the cells drive the growth or are simply present alongside it.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ScienceAlert