Progenitor cells are responsible for formation primary epithelial cultures in the prostate epithelial model.

The adult stem cells (ASC) are supposed to regenerate epithelium. We hypothesized prostate epithelial CD133-positive ASC to be responsible for establishing the primary cell culture. The prostate epithelial stem cells were isolated using anti-CD133 microbeads in order to form different cell populations. The morphology of cultures developed from CD133(+) and CD133(-) prostate epithelial cells were compared with prostate epithelium cell culture obtained after simple isolation procedure. Four 8-week-old Wistar rats were used in the experiment and six cultures were obtained. Double CD133(+) and CD133(-) cultures from two rats were established after enzymatic digestion and positive selection by SuperMACS device, and two non-selected CD133(+)/CD133(-) cultures were developed by simple prostate epithelial cell isolation from two other rats. The epithelial nature was confirmed by anti-cytokeratine antibodies. It was observed that growth of the CD133(+)/CD133(-) and CD133(+)culture resembled epithelial-like prostate cell culture. It was not possible to establish epithelial-like culture from CD133(-) cell population. The primary epithelial cell culture collapsed in a few days after the CD133-positive ASC were removed. We concluded that the epithelial progenitor cells are responsible for establishing primary prostate epithelial cultures in vitro.