Stromal cells inhibit Kallikrein 7 expression in the epithelial cells of benign prostate hyperplasia

Objective:To investigate the influence of stromal cells on the Kallikrein 7(KLK7) expression of epithelial cells in benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH).Methods: We constructed a stromal-epithelial co-culture model after separating the two types of cells from BPH tissues and identifying them by cell morphology and chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay(CMIA).The expression of KLK7 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in the epithelial cells with or without the stromal cells,and that of the KLK7 protein(hK7) determined by Western blot.Results: Stromal and epithelial cells were successfully separated and identified,and a stromal-epithelial co-culture model successfully established.RT-PCR showed that the mRNA expression of the KLK7 gene was higher in the epithelial cells co-cultured with stromal cells than in the epithelial cells alone,and the gray value of KLK7 to GAPDH was 1.41 ± 0.041 in the former and 1.78 ± 0.10 in the latter(P 0.01).The results of Western blot were consistent with those of RT-PCR.Conclusion: Stromal cells can suppress the expression of the KLK7 gene in the epithelial cells in BPH.KLK7 may be involved in the change of epithelial cells stimulated by stromal cells.