Reprogramming Prostate Cancer Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: a Promising Model of Prostate Cancer Stem Cell Research

Prostate cancer stem cells (PrCSCs) are responsible for the development of castration-resistant disease and are associated with poor outcomes; however, the origin of PrCSCs is still not known due to the lack of a suitable model. In the current study, the human prostate cancer cell line 22RV1 was used to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) via the exogenous expression of four classic transcription factors (OCT-4, SOX2, KLF4, and C-MYC). The iPSCs were analyzed by phase contrast microscopy, real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, and examined for karyotype and embryoid body and teratoma formation. The analyses demonstrated that the prostate cancer cells were successfully reprogrammed into iPSCs by characteristic human embryonic stem cell morphology, cell marker expression, AP activity, embryoid body, and pluripotency capability in generating all three embryonic germ layers. These results may provide a convenient and accessible model for studying the origin of PrCSCs and the process by which progenitor cells are transformed into PrCSCs.