The role of androgen in the regulation of programmed cell death/apoptosis in normal and malignant prostatic tissue.

Cells possess within their repertoire of epigenetic programs the ability to undergo a process of cellular suicide, termed programmed cell death. This programmed cell death process involves an epigenetic reprogramming of the cell that results in an energy-dependent cascade of biochemical and morphologic changes within the cell (also termed apoptosis), resulting in its death and elimination. Although the final steps (i.e. DNA and cellular fragmentation) are common to cells undergoing programmed death, the activation of this death process is initiated either by sufficient injury to the cell induced by various exogenous damaging agents (e.g. radiation, chemicals, viruses, etc) or by changes in the levels of a series of endogenous signals (e.g. hormones and growth/survival factors). As an illustrative example, the role of androgen as a cell type specific endogenous regulator of the programmed death of normal and neoplastic prostatic cells will be presented.