HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Penna, G. Articles by Adorini, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Penna, G. Articles by Adorini, L.

Spontaneous and Prostatic Steroid Binding Protein Peptide-Induced Autoimmune Prostatitis in the Nonobese Diabetic Mouse¹

Giuseppe Penna^*, Susana Amuchastegui^*, Chiara Cossetti^*, Francesca Aquilano^*, Roberto Mariani^*, Nadia Giarratana^*, Elena De Carli^*, Benedetta Fibbi and Luciano Adorini^2,*

^* BioXell, Milan, Italy; and Andrology Unit, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis is a poorly defined syndrome of putative autoimmune origin. To further understand its pathogenesis, we have analyzed autoimmune prostatitis in the NOD mouse, a strain genetically prone to develop different organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Spontaneous development of autoimmune prostatitis in the NOD male, defined by lymphomonuclear cell infiltration in the prostate gland, is well-established by 20 wk of age and is stably maintained afterward. Disease development is indistinguishable in NOD and NOR mice, but is markedly delayed in IFN--deficient NOD mice. A T cell response to the prostate-specific autoantigen prostatic steroid-binding protein (PSBP) can be detected in NOD males before development of prostate infiltration, indicating lack of tolerance to this self Ag. The intraprostatic inflammatory infiltrate is characterized by Th1-type CD4⁺ T cells, which are able to transfer autoimmune prostatitis into NOD.SCID recipients. We characterize here experimental autoimmune prostatitis, detected by intraprostatic infiltrate and PSBP-specific T cell responses, induced in 6- to 8-wk-old NOD males by immunization with synthetic peptides corresponding to the C1 subunit of PSBP. Three PSBP peptides induce in NOD mice vigorous T and B cell responses, paralleled by a marked lymphomononuclear cell infiltration in the prostate. Two of these peptides, PSBP_21–40 and PSBP_61–80, correspond to immunodominant self epitopes naturally processed in NOD mice after immunization with PSBP, whereas peptide PSBP_91–111 represents a cryptic epitope. These model systems address pathogenetic mechanisms in autoimmune prostatitis and will facilitate testing and mechanistic analysis of therapeutic approaches in this condition.

The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

¹ This work was supported in part by European Community Grant INNOCHEM (to L.A.).

² Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Luciano Adorini, BioXell, Via Olgettina 58, I-20132 Milan, Italy. E-mail address: Luciano.Adorini{at}bioxell.com

³ Abbreviations used in this paper: CP/CPPS, chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome; EAP, experimental autoimmune prostatitis; PSBP, prostatic steroid-binding protein; HEL, hen egg-white lysozyme; DC, dendritic cell.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Liu, J. Q. Mo, Q. Hu, G. Boivin, L. Levin, S. Lu, D. Yang, Z. Dong, and S. Lu Targeted Overexpression of Vav3 Oncogene in Prostatic Epithelium Induces Nonbacterial Prostatitis and Prostate Cancer Cancer Res., August 1, 2008; 68(15): 6396 - 6406. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]