The authors investigated the effects of castration-induced stromal remodeling and subsequent aberrant activation of epithelial–stromal interactions on reconstituted human prostate-like epithelium. They demonstrate that castration-induced stromal remodeling disrupted the reconstituted epithelial structure and induced the appearance of tenascin-C-positive fibroblasts, accompanied by activation of TGF-β signaling. The alteration of prostate stromal structure may be responsible for loss of the basement membrane and epithelial cell polarity.
- Shinya Kajiwara
- Kenichiro Ishii
- Yoshiki Sugimura
