Prostate Development

Notice - Mark Hill

Currently this page is only a template and is being updated (this notice removed when completed).

Introduction

Historic drawing of the fetal male urogenital system

The male gonad, the testis, differentiates embryonically initially under the influence of the Y chromosome. Later under the influence the gonad-derived fetal testosterone acting through androgen receptors, a region of the urogenital sinus (UGS) mesenchyme differentiates to form the primordial prostate buds. The buds then signal back to the overlying epithelium, inducing duct formation, this was one of the early studied (1970's) example of an mesenchymal-epithelial interaction in development.

The reproductive function of the prostate becomes active at puberty where prostate secretions contribute the majority by volume of the ejaculate containing spermatozoa.

The prostate gland is generally in the news due to its late postnatal adult growth changes, enlarged due to benign nodular hyperplasia, and the male health effects of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in western males and anatomically involves the prostate peripheral zone. (More? "Movember")

There are also currently separate pages describing Genital - Male Development | Spermatozoa Development | Testis Development | Prostate Development.

Historic Embryology - Genital
General: 1901 Urinogenital Tract \| 1902 The Uro-Genital System \| 1904 Ovary and Testis \| 1912 Urinogenital Organ Development \| 1914 External Genitalia \| 1921 Urogenital Development \| 1921 External Genital \| 1942 Sex Cords \| 1953 Germ Cells \| Historic Embryology Papers \| Historic Disclaimer
Female: 1904 Ovary and Testis \| 1904 Hymen \| 1912 Urinogenital Organ Development \| 1914 External Genitalia \| 1914 Female \| 1921 External Genital \| 1927 Female Foetus 15 cm \| 1927 Vagina \| 1932 Postnatal Ovary
Male: 1887-88 Testis \| 1904 Ovary and Testis \| 1904 Leydig Cells \| 1906 Testis vascular \| 1909 Prostate \| 1912 Prostate \| 1914 External Genitalia \| 1915 Cowper’s and Bartholin’s Glands \| 1920 Wolffian tubules \| 1935 Prepuce \| 1935 Wolffian Duct \| 1942 Sex Cords \| 1943 Testes Descent \| Historic Embryology Papers \| Historic Disclaimer

| Puberty

Some Recent Findings

Male urogenital development (stage 22)

The role of Wnt5a in prostate gland development^[1] "The Wnt genes encode a large family of secreted glycoproteins that play important roles in controlling tissue patterning, cell fate and proliferation during development. Currently, little is known regarding the role(s) of Wnt genes during prostate gland development. The present study examines the role of the noncanonical Wnt5a during prostate gland development in rat and murine models. In the rat prostate, Wnt5a mRNA is expressed by distal mesenchyme during the budding stage and localizes to periductal mesenchymal cells with an increasing proximal-to-distal gradient during branching morphogenesis. Wnt5a protein is secreted and localizes to periductal stroma, extracellular matrix and epithelial cells in the distal ducts. While Wnt5a expression is high during active morphogenesis in all prostate lobes, ventral prostate (VP) expression declines rapidly following morphogenesis while dorsal (DP) and lateral lobe (LP) expression remains high into adulthood. Steroids modulate prostatic Wnt5a expression during early development with testosterone suppressing Wnt5a and neonatal estrogen increasing expression."

Textbooks

Historic drawing of the human prostate

Human Embryology (2nd ed.) Larson Chapter 10 p261-306
The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology (6th ed.) Moore and Persaud Chapter 13 p303-346
Before We Are Born (5th ed.) Moore and Persaud Chapter 14 p289-326
Essentials of Human Embryology, Larson Chapter 10 p173-205
Human Embryology, Fitzgerald and Fitzgerald Chapter 21-22 p134-152
Developmental Biology (6th ed.) Gilbert Chapter 14 Intermediate Mesoderm

Prostate Development Overview

fetal testosterone stimulates urogenital sinus mesenchyme through androgen receptors
urogenital sinus mesenchyme acts on the overlying epithelium to stimulate cell proliferation
urogenital sinus epithelium then forms prostate ductal progenitor, the prostatic buds
prostatic buds then grow into the urogenital sinus mesenchyme

Prostate Bud Growth

specification phase - instructive developmental cues define where buds will form in the UGS
initiation phase - prostatic buds begin to form
elongation phase - proliferation, cell adhesion, and cell migration coordinate outgrowth of prostatic buds into UGM.

Based on the recent review.^[2]

Genital Development Overview

Three main stages during development, mesonephric/paramesonephric duct changes are one of the first male/female differences that occur in development, while external genitaila remain indeterminate in appearance for quite a while.

Differentiation of gonad (Sex determination)
Differentiation of internal genital organs
Differentiation of external genital organs

The 2nd and 3rd stages dependent on endocrine gonad. Reproductive development has a long maturation timecourse, begining in the embryo and finishing in puberty. (More? Puberty Development)

Mouse Prostate Development

The mouse has been used extensively as a model of prostate embryonic development. A similar androgenic regulation occurs of in ventral epithelial bud affecting number and pattern forming in the mouse urogenital sinus.^[3]

begins in fetal mice ductal progenitors (or buds) emerge from urogenital sinus epithelium
prostatic buds develop in response to androgens, which activate androgen receptors in UGS mesenchyme
two rows of 3-4 prostatic buds at birth

Links: Mouse Development

Prostate Histology


Human prostate histology	Corpora Amylacea	Submucosal gland
(adult, H&E low power overview)	(adult, H&E detail)	(adult, H&E high power detail)

Anatomy

The prostate is the largest accessory sex gland in men (about 2 × 3 × 4 cm). It contains 30 - 50 tubuloalveolar glands, which empty into 15 - 25 independent excretory ducts. These ducts open into the urethra. The glands are embedded into a fibromuscular stroma, which mainly consists of smooth muscle separated by strands of connective tissue rich in collagenous and elastic fibres. The muscle forms a dense mass around the urethra and beneath the fairly thin capsule of the prostrate.

Macroscopically the prostrate can be divided into lobes, but they are inconspicuous in histological sections. In good histological sections it is possible to distinguish three concentric zones, which surround the prostatic part of the urethra.

peripheral zone contains large (main glands) whose ducts run posteriorly to open into the urethra
internal zone consists of the so-called submucosal glands
innermost zone contains mucosal glands

Secretory Glands

The secretory alveoli of the prostate are very irregularly shaped because of papillary projections of the mucosa into the lumen of the gland. The epithelium is cuboidal or columnar. Basal cells are again present, and the epithelium may look pseudostratified where they are found. The secretory cells are slightly acidophilic and secretory granules may be visible in the cytoplasm. Small extensions of the apical cytoplasm into the lumen of the alveoli may represent cells which release their secretory products (secretion is apocrine/merocine). The secretion of the prostate contains citric acid, the enzyme fibrinolysin (liquefies the semen), acid phosphatase, a number of other enzymes and lipids. The secretion of the prostate is the first fraction of the ejaculate.

The secretory ducts of the prostate are lined by a simple columnar epithelium, which changes to a transitional epithelium near the openings of the ducts into the urethra.

Corpora Amylacea

A characteristic feature of the prostate is the appearance of corpora amylacea in the secretory alveoli. They are rounded eosinophilic bodies. Their average diameter is about 0.25 mm (up to 2 mm). They appear already in the seventh month of foetal development. Their number increases with age - in particular past 50. They may undergo calcification. Corpora amylacea may appear in semen.

Additional Histology Images

Prostate overview
Submucosal gland
Fibromuscular stroma
Submucosal gland
Corpora amylacea (prostatic concretions)
Corpora amylacea (prostatic concretions)

Above text and images modified from: Blue Histology - Prostate

Movies

Genital development animations


Urogenital Sinus	Urogenital Septum

Male External	Testis Descent

Historic Images of Genital Changes


Urogenital indifferent	Urogenital male	Urogenital female

Abnormalities

Benign Nodular Hyperplasia

A postnatal adult ageing effect with an onset about 45 years of age, the prostate becomes enlarged due to benign nodular hyperplasia. By 60 years of age and older about 3/4 of the males are affected of which half will be symptomatic. This condition affects the mucosal glands.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in western males and anatomically involves the prostate peripheral zone.

The dog has been used as a model of this condition as this species also spontaneously develop prostatic neoplasia. The cell line CT1258 has been derived from a spontaneous canine prostate carcinoma and can induce tumour formation in mice.

(More? "Movember")

References

↑ <pubmed>19389372</pubmed>
↑ <pubmed>18977204</pubmed>
↑ <pubmed>19941349</pubmed>

Reviews

Articles

Search PubMed

Search Pubmed "Prostate Embryology" Oct 2010 - All (775) Review (113) Free Full Text (171)

Search Pubmed: Prostate Embryology | Prostate Development | Corpora Amylacea |

Additional Images

Prostate stem cell cartoon
Rat prostate epithelial branching

Terms

androgen receptor
benign prostatic hyperplasia
mesenchyme
paraurethral gland - (Skene's gland) - female prostate gland is the correct nomenclature
prostate gland - Greek, prostates = "one who stands before", "protector", a female prostate gland exists
prostate cancer
UGE - urogenital epithelium
UGS - urogenital sinus

Glossary Links

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Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 19) Embryology Prostate Development. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Prostate_Development

What Links Here?

[PMID19389372-1] <pubmed>19389372</pubmed>

[2] <pubmed>18977204</pubmed>

[3] <pubmed>19941349</pubmed>

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[2]

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