Profiling prostate biology | Science

Profiling prostate biology | Science: Molecular profiling of heterogeneous cell populations at the single-cell level using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has provided refined cell type–specific gene expression signatures and allowed the discovery of rare cell types. Applying such an approach in the context of anatomy and pathology informs disease mechanisms. A requirement for androgen is a cardinal feature in the development and maintenance of normal prostate and for the maintenance of prostate adenocarcinoma ([ 1 ][1]). On page 497 of this issue, Karthaus et al. ([ 2 ][2]) provide an in-depth characterization of prostatic cellular heterogeneity and address mechanisms of androgen independence in regenerating mouse prostates. They identify an adaptive stemlike phenotype in a large population of secretory epithelial cells undergoing androgen-dependent regeneration, uncovering an unappreciated plasticity in these differentiated cells, which has implications for prostate cancer therapy.

Prostate epithelium consists of three primary cell types: luminal cells, an underlying layer of basal cells, and rare neuropeptide-secreting neuroendocrine cells. Luminal cells express the androgen receptor (AR) transcription facto