Molecular characterization of prostate hyperplasia in prolactin-transgenic mice by using cDNA representational difference analysis.

BACKGROUND: Transgenic mice overexpressing the rat prolactin (PRL) gene develop a dramatic enlargement of the prostate gland. The objective of this study was to characterize the molecular mechanisms in the prostate of importance for the prostate hyperplasia seen in these transgenic mice. METHODS: cDNA representational difference analysis (cDNA RDA) was used to isolate differentially expressed transcripts in the prostate hyperplasia of the transgenic mice compared with wildtype littermates. Furthermore, cDNA microarray analysis was used to verify the RDA output. RESULTS: Here we report 10 transcripts, some of them described to be involved in proliferation and apoptosis, which are differentially expressed in the enlarged transgenic prostates compared with controls. CONCLUSION: The identified differentially expressed transcripts presented herein supports molecular similarities between the prostate hyperplasia of PRL-transgenic mice and human BPH that may contribute to explain the molecular basis of prostate hyperplasia.