Altered androgen regulation of differentiated ventral prostate function during aging of the AXC rat.

We have examined testosterone regulation of differentiated androgen responsive ventral prostate function in aging AXC rats as a possible means of identifying age-related changes in prostate gene function. Concerning cellular content of functional macromolecules, we identified three categories of age-related change in ventral prostate: (1) diminutions completely reversible by short-term chronic testosterone treatment, as exemplified by androgen receptor content; (2) diminutions partially reversible by testosterone treatment, as exemplified by prolactin receptor content and L-ornithine-decarboxylase (ODC) activity; and (3) diminutions not reversed by exogenous testosterone treatment, as exemplified by S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase (AMDC) activity. A fourth category of alteration revealed apparent age-related changes in polyamine homeostasis.

Creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase: stability of isoenzymes and their activity in stored human plasma and prostatic tissue extracts and effect of sample dilution.

We examined the effect of storing human plasma or extracts of prostate at -90 degrees C on the activity of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase and isoenzyme distribution. Enzyme activities were unaltered during storage for as long as six weeks. If these preparations were thawed only once at 2 to 4 degrees C, they could be stored for as long as 165 days at -90 degrees C with no change in isoenzyme distribution.

Human prostate androgen receptor quantitation: effects of temperature on assay parameters.

When cytoplasmic extracts of human prostatic tissues were split to permit quantitation of total androgen receptor (RCT) content by saturation analysis at 15 degrees and 2 degrees, we observed that 30% (10 of 32) of the specimens yielded statistically increased values for RCT following incubation at 15 degrees as compared to 2 degrees. Considering only those specimens (13 of 32) showing statistically differentiated RCT yield, 77% (10 of 13) yielded greater RCT content following incubation at 15 degrees. The families of association constants (Ka) obtained for RCT determinations at 2 degrees and 15 degrees were not statistically differentiated.

A x C rat prostate adenocarcinoma: initial characterization of testosterone regulation of hormone receptors of cultured cancer cells and derived tumors.

A x C rat prostate cancer cells were established in continuous culture. The polygonal epithelial cells had granular cytoplasm and well-defined cell margins, contained round to oval nuclei with prominent nucleoli, and were tumorigenic when inoculated into A x C male rats. The tumors produced by the injected prostate cancer cells grew as well-vascularized, solid, cribriform adenocarcinomas.