Single Mouse Adult Stem Cell Grows New Prostate Gland

October 23, 2008

Here’s an exciting animal experiment. Scientists found an adult prostate stem cell in mice and one cell grew an entire new prostate gland. From the story.

Here we identify CD117 (c-kit, stem cell factor receptor) as a new marker of a rare adult mouse PSC population, and demonstrate that a single stem cell defined by the phenotype Lin^–Sca-1⁺CD133⁺CD44⁺CD117⁺ can generate a prostate after transplantation in vivo. CD117 expression is predominantly localized to the region of the mouse prostate proximal to the urethra and is upregulated after castration-induced prostate involution—two characteristics consistent with that of a PSC marker. CD117⁺ PSCs can generate functional, secretion-producing prostates when transplanted in vivo.

It’s a very long way from human application, obviously, but another example of the need for animal research and the potency of non controversial biotechnology.