Alterations in the expression of inhibitors of apoptosis during differentiation of prostate epithelial cells

OBJECTIVE To investigate alterations in the apoptotic phenotype, specifically the inhibitors of apoptosis (IAP) family, in prostate epithelial cells after differentiation from an apoptotic‐resistant basal cell to an apoptotic‐susceptible secretory cell. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cells of the immortalized human prostate epithelial line HPr‐1AR were cultured with and with no 5α‐dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to drive differentiation. Western blotting and reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) were used to determine changes in differentiation markers such as cytokeratins (CK) 14 and 18, and in XIAP, cIAP‐1 and cIAP‐2. Flow cytometry was used to assess viability and apoptosis, by propidium iodide DNA staining of the cells during differentiation. RESULTS Morphological changes and the increased CK‐18 and decreased CK‐14 expression confirmed differentiation of cells towards a secretory phenotype. Real‐time PCR and Western blotting confirmed the expression of the IAPs in the HPr‐1AR cells. There was a time‐dependent decrease in the mRNA expression of XIAP, cIAP‐1 and cIAP‐2 after treatment with DHT. Differentiation also resulted in decreased cIAP‐1 and XIAP protein expression, but cIAP‐2 remained unchanged. Spontaneous apoptosis was significantly increased during cellular differentiation. CONCLUSION We show for the first time that differentiation of HPr‐1AR prostate epithelial cells results in the development of a transient end‐stage cell that might be explained by the loss of the IAP family of proteins.