Fig. 5: GRP promotes Pten-deficient mouse prostate stem/progenitor cell expansion and sphere-forming capacity.

Western blot of GRPR expression (a), prostasphere size (b), sphere-forming capacity (c), migration (d), and invasion (e) of prostate cells isolated from 3-month-old Pten^PE−/− and Mme^−/−Pten^PE−/− mice (n = 6 per genotype) were performed. f–i GRP recapitulates the effects of MME catalytic inhibition. Prostasphere size (f), sphere-forming capacity (g), migration (h), and invasion (i) of prostate cells isolated from 3-month-old Pten^PE−/− and Mme^−/−Pten^PE−/− mice (n = 6 per genotype) were performed. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. All error bars denote SD. Frequency (j) and size (k) of prostaspheres formed by Ad-Cre-infected CD49f^hi/Sca-1⁺ stem/progenitor cells isolated from 3-month-old Pten^loxP/loxP mice (n = 6) with treatments of GRP and/or [Tyr⁴, d-Phe¹²]-Bombesin were performed. P0–P3, passages 0–3. Annotations for groups in f–i are shown in f. Annotations for groups in j and k are shown in j. HE hematoxylin and eosin staining *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. All error bars denote SD. a–g Data represent three independent experiments.