Secreted frizzled related protein 1 is a paracrine modulator of epithelial branching morphogenesis, proliferation, and secretory gene expression in the prostate.

Previous in vitro studies identified secreted frizzled related protein 1 (SFRP1) as a candidate pro-proliferative signal during prostatic development and cancer progression. This study determined the in vivo roles of SFRP1 in the prostate using expression studies in mice and by creating loss- and gain-of-function mouse genetic models. Expression studies using an Sfrp1(lacZ) knock-in allele showed that Sfrp1 is expressed in the developing mesenchyme/stroma of the prostate.

Identification of SFRP1 as a candidate mediator of stromal-to-epithelial signaling in prostate cancer.

Genetic changes in epithelial cells initiate the development of prostatic adenocarcinomas. As nascent tumors grow and undergo progression, epithelial tumor cells are intimately associated with stromal cells. Stromal cells within the tumor microenvironment acquire new properties, including the capacity to promote phenotypic and genetic progression in adjacent epithelial cells.