This review summarizes the recent advancements that have improved our understanding of the functions of prostatic stem/progenitor cells in maintaining homeostasis of the prostate gland. We also describe the oncogenic events that may contribute to their malignant transformation into prostatic cancer stem/progenitor cells during cancer initiation and progression to metastatic disease stages. The molecular mechanisms that may contribute to the intrinsic or the acquisition of a resistant phenotype by the prostatic cancer stem/progenitor cells and their differentiated progenies with a luminal phenotype to the current therapies and disease relapse are also reviewed. The emphasis is on the critical functions of distinct tumorigenic signaling cascades induced through the epidermal growth factor system, hedgehog, Wnt/beta-catenin, and/or stromal cell-derived factor-1/CXC chemokine receptor-4 pathways as well as the deregulated apoptotic signaling elements and ATP-binding cassette multidrug transporter. Of particular therapeutic interest, we also discuss the potential beneficial effects associated with the targeting of these signaling elements to overcome the resistance to current treatments and prostate cancer recurrence. The combined targeted strategies toward distinct oncogenic signaling cascades in prostatic cancer stem/progenitor cells and their progenies as well as their local microenvironment, which could improve the efficacy of current clinical chemotherapeutic treatments against incurable, androgen-independent, and metastatic prostate cancers, are also described.

中文翻译：

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正常和恶性前列腺干/祖细胞在组织再生和癌症进展中的功能以及新的靶向治疗。

这篇综述总结了最近的进展，这些进展提高了我们对前列腺干/祖细胞在维持前列腺稳态方面的功能的理解。我们还描述了在癌症发生和进展到转移性疾病阶段期间可能导致其恶性转化为前列腺癌干/祖细胞的致癌事件。还综述了可能有助于前列腺癌干/祖细胞及其分化的具有管腔表型的后代对当前疗法和疾病复发的内在或获得耐药表型的分子机制。重点是通过表皮生长因子系统、hedgehog、Wnt/β-catenin、和/或基质细胞衍生因子-1/CXC 趋化因子受体-4 通路以及失调的凋亡信号元件和 ATP 结合盒多药转运蛋白。特别具有治疗意义的是，我们还讨论了与靶向这些信号元件以克服对当前治疗和前列腺癌复发的抵抗相关的潜在有益作用。针对前列腺癌干/祖细胞及其后代及其局部微环境中不同致癌信号级联反应的联合靶向策略，可以提高当前临床化疗对无法治愈、雄激素非依赖性和转移性前列腺癌的疗效。描述。