Fig. 8: Prostate-specific deletions of Tubb4a and Pten and tumor progression in mouse prostate.

A Schematic diagram of spontaneous developed prostate tumors followed for up to 50 weeks of age in genetically engineered mouse models. B Representative mouse prostates at 25 and 35 weeks of age. C Weights of prostates in the mice at 35 weeks of age. D Representative H/E staining of mouse prostates at 35 weeks of age. Scale bar, 200 µm. E Kaplan–Meier curves of mPIN incidences for up to 50 weeks of age. At 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 weeks of age, 5 mice/per time point were sacrificed for pathologic analysis. F Representative immunostaining for TUBB4A, AR, Ki67, c-MYC, p-IKK, and p-p65 in the prostates of mice at 35 weeks of age. Scale bar, 100 µm. G The percentage of Ki67 cells as an indicator of proliferating cells among the mouse prostate or tumor tissues. H Relative mRNA levels of c-Myc, Ccnd1, and Vim genes as a percentage of Hprt expression in microdissected prostate epithelial cells as determined by qPCR at 35 weeks of age. Data are replicated 5 (H), 10 (G), 23–55 (C), and 40 (E) times. Data are presented as the means and SD with a two-tailed t test (G, H) or an ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc t test (C). Source data are provided as a Source data file. AP, anterior prostate; DP, dorsal prostate; LP, lateral prostate; VP, ventral prostate; cKO, prostate conditional knockout; mPIN, mouse prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia; AR, androgen receptor; i.p., intraperitoneal injection.