Figure 1.

Model of prostate epithelial homeostasis and cancer initiation. In the benign prostate, basal cells and luminal cells predominantly self-renew to make more of themselves, while rare basal cells differentiate into the luminal lineage. Upon basal cell transformation, basal to luminal differentiation is enhanced and cancers become driven by tumorigenic luminal cells in the absence of the initiating basal cells. Luminal transformation rapidly gives rise to tumorigenic luminal cells.