• PMID: 11896623
• Gene Name: FGF-3
• Condition: Prostate development, prostatic hyperplasia
• Association: Ectopic FGF-3 expression severely perturbs normal prostate development and our system should be useful for the analyses of early changes in prostatic hyperplasia.
• Sex: Male
• Infertility type: Male infertility
• Other associated phenotypes: Prostate development, prostatic hyperplasia

Ectopic expression of FGF-3 results in abnormal prostate and Wolffian duct development

Chua SS, Ma ZQ, Gong L, Lin SH, DeMayo FJ, Tsai SY.

To evaluate the effects of FGF-3 expression in the prostate and male reproductive tract, we employed a bitransgenic system to target FGF-3 to these organs. We present a first study that ectopic FGF-3 expression resulted in exuberant hyperplasia of all bigenic prostatic lobes typified by epithelial stratification, cribiform structures and papillary tufts. These cells displayed increased nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratios and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) proliferative index but retained relatively uniform nuclear androgen receptor (AR) and the tumor suppressor C-CAM1 staining. Furthermore, the dysmorphogenic prostatic cells also resembled PIN (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia)-like lesions but did not appear to have invaded the basal lamina. In addition to these phenotypes, profound disorders of the bigenic Wolffian duct derivatives were observed. The bigenic ampullary glands and vas deferens were extremely cystic, hypertrophic and hyperplastic; the enlarged epididymi showed a reduction of spermatozoa and the seminal vesicles exhibited a dramatic reduction of seminal secretions. Because of these severe abnormalities, these infertile males presented with diaphragmatic hernias, hemoperitoneum and many secondary abnormalities at sacrifice. Taken together, we show that ectopic FGF-3 expression severely perturbs normal prostate development and our system should be useful for the analyses of early changes in prostatic hyperplasia. FAU - Chua, Steven S AU - Chua SS AD - Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas, TX 77030, USA. FAU - Ma, Zhi-Qing AU - Ma ZQ FAU - Gong, Lei AU - Gong L FAU - Lin, Sue-Hwa AU - Lin SH FAU - DeMayo, Francesco J AU - DeMayo FJ