Table 1.

Counting of caveolae in the surface of the plasma membrane of the three prostate cell lines: PNT2 (normal), LNCaP (androgen-sensitive), and PC3 (androgen-independent)

Cell type	Perimeter of analyzed membrane surface (μm)	Number of caveolae	Ratio (caveolae/perimeter)
PNT2	213.63a	45.66±4.00	0.21±0.02
LNCaP	325.62b	145.66±5.50	0.45±0.02
PC3	294.67c	103.33±2.52	0.35±0.01

Notes: Different sections of ten cells were counted (n=3 times from the same sample) for caveolae, and the ratio of the number of caveolae per perimeter of analyzed surface was obtained. Prostate cancer cell lines have approximately double the number of caveolae that normal prostate cells do.

^aP<0.001 PNT2 compared with LNCaP

^bP=0.033 PNT2 compared with PC3

^cns P=0.123 LNCaP compared with PC3.

Abbreviations: PNT2, normal human prostatic epithelial cell line; LNCaP, lymph node carcinoma of the prostate; PC3, prostate cancer cell 3 line; ns, not significant.