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Morphometric Analysis of Rat Prostate Development: Roles of MEK/ERK and Rho Signaling Pathways in Prostatic Morphogenesis.
- Source :
-
Biomolecules (2218-273X) . Dec2021, Vol. 11 Issue 12, p1829-1829. 1p. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- The molecular mechanisms underlying prostate development can provide clues for prostate cancer research. It has been demonstrated that MEK/ERK signaling downstream of androgen-targeted FGF10 signaling directly induces prostatic branching during development, while Rho/Rho-kinase can regulate prostate cell proliferation. MEK/ERK and Rho/Rho kinase regulate myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), and MLCK regulates myosin light chain phosphorylation (MLC-P), which is critical for cell fate, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. However, the roles and crosstalk of the MEK/ERK and Rho/Rho kinase signaling pathways in prostatic morphogenesis have not been examined. In the present study, we used numerical and image analysis to characterize lobe-specific rat prostatic branching during postnatal organ culture and investigated the roles of FGF10-MEK/ERK and Rho/Rho kinase signaling pathways in prostatic morphogenesis. Prostates exhibited distinctive lobe-specific growth and branching patterns in the ventral (VP) and lateral (LP) lobes, while exogenous FGF10 treatment shifted LP branching towards a VP branching pattern. Treatment with inhibitors of MEK1/2, Rho, Rho kinase, or MLCK significantly inhibited VP growth and blocked branching morphogenesis, further supporting critical roles for MEK/ERK and Rho/Rho kinase signaling pathways in prostatic growth and branching during development. We propose that MLCK-regulated MLC-P may be a central downstream target of both signaling pathways in regulating prostate morphogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2218273X
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Biomolecules (2218-273X)
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 154345305
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11121829