PDGFRα ⁺ Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Contribute to Epithelial Lineages during Prostate Development

Organ development is attributed to stem/progenitor cells which self-renew and differentiate into mature cells critical for tissue form and function. The prostate is an epithelial organ that participates in the production of seminal fluid. Bipotent and unipotent stem/progenitor cells resident in prostatic epithelia are shown to support its development. While the stroma is crucial for prostate organogenesis, precise stromal cells including immature stromal subsets involved in prostate biology are unknown. Utilizing genetic reporter and lineage tracing mouse models, we identify a PDGFRα ⁺ mesenchymal population in the fibromuscular stroma that harbors progenitors which undergo a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition, generating prostatic luminal and basal epithelial lineages during postnatal development. Further, these mesenchymal progenitors and their epithelial progeny persist in the adult, demonstrating their self-renewal potential. Our findings unveil a prostatic progenitor beyond the epithelium, laying down a framework for probing the contribution of stromal progenitors to the normal and diseased prostate.