Single-cell RNA sequencing of human prostate basal epithelial cells reveals zone-specific cellular populations and gene expression signatures

Prostatic basal cells have been implicated in differentiation and proliferation during prostate development and regeneration; however, the contribution of zonal variation and the critical role of basal cells in prostatic disease etiology is not well understood. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of primary prostate epithelial cultures, we elucidated organ-specific, zone-specific, and cluster-specific gene expression differences in basal cells isolated from human prostate and seminal vesicle (SV). Overall design: scRNA-seq was performed on 8 biopsies from a single patient: 2 replicates of biopsies from the prostatic central zone (CZ), peripheral zone (PZ), and transition zone (TZ) plus seminal vesicle (SV).