Epithelial and fibroblastoid cell lines derived from the normal canine prostate. I. Separation and characterization of epithelial and stromal components

Cell cultures displaying exclusively epithelial or fibroblastoid morphology have been isolated by spillage and collagenase digest techniques, respectively. Primary cultures of both cell types have been readily subcultured. The use of a type I collagen substrate has been shown to be essential to the growth of normal prostatic epithelium in monolayer cultures. The ability to generate replicate subcultures of both cell types has allowed the quantitative characterization of the mitogenicity of fetal bovine serum and insulin in early subcultures. The control of culture conditions has permitted uniform cell population growth in early subculture with regular population doubling times in log phase of growth. Epithelial cultures have been shown to display many ultrastructural characteristics common to the normal epithelium of the canine prostate.