Aberrant gene expression in cultured mammalian bone cells demonstrates an osteoblast defect in osteopetrosis

Non-overlapping functions for Pyk2 and FAK in osteoblasts during fluid shear stress-induced mechanotransduction

Mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert external mechanical stimuli such as fluid shear stress (FSS) into biochemical changes, plays a critical role in maintenance of the skeleton. We have proposed that mechanical stimulation by FSS across the surfaces of bone cells results in formation of unique signaling complexes called mechanosomes that are launched from sites of adhesion with the extracellular matrix and with other bone cells [1]. Deformation of adhesion complexes at the cell membrane ultimately results in alteration of target gene expression. Recently, we reported that focal adhesion kinase (FAK) functions as a part of a mechanosome complex that is required for FSS-induced mechanotransduction in bone cells. This study extends this work to examine the role of a second member of the FAK family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases, proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2), and determine its role during osteoblast mechanotransduction. We use osteoblasts harvested from mice as our model system in this study and compared the contributions of Pyk2 and FAK during FSS induced mechanotransduction in osteoblasts. We exposed Pyk2^+/+ and Pyk2^−/− primary calvarial osteoblasts to short period of oscillatory fluid flow and analyzed downstream activation of ERK1/2, and expression of c-fos, cyclooxygenase-2 and osteopontin. Unlike FAK, Pyk2 was not required for fluid flow-induced mechanotransduction as there was no significant difference in the response of Pyk2^+/+ and Pyk2^−/− osteoblasts to short periods of fluid flow (FF). In contrast, and as predicted, FAK^−/− osteoblasts were unable to respond to FF. These data indicate that FAK and Pyk2 have distinct, non-redundant functions in launching mechanical signals during osteoblast mechanotransduction. Additionally, we compared two methods of generating FF in both cell types, oscillatory pump method and another orbital platform method. We determined that both methods of generating FF induced similar responses in both primary calvarial osteoblasts and immortalized calvarial osteoblasts.

Focal adhesion kinase is important for fluid shear stress-induced mechanotransduction in osteoblasts

Mechanical loading of bone is important for maintenance of bone mass and structural stability of the skeleton. When bone is mechanically loaded, movement of fluid within the spaces surrounding bone cells generates fluid shear stress (FSS) that stimulates osteoblasts, resulting in enhanced anabolic activity. The mechanisms by which osteoblasts convert the external stimulation of FSS into biochemical changes, a process known as mechanotransduction, remain poorly understood. Focal adhesions are prime candidates for transducing external stimuli. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase found in focal adhesions, may play a key role in mechanotransduction, although its function has not been directly examined in osteoblasts. We examined the role of FAK in osteoblast mechanotransduction using short interfering RNA (siRNA), overexpression of a dominant negative FAK, and FAK(-/-) osteoblasts to disrupt FAK function in calvarial osteoblasts. Osteoblasts were subjected to varying periods oscillatory fluid flow (OFF) from 5 min to 4 h, and several physiologically important readouts of mechanotransduction were analyzed including: extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 phosphorylation, upregulation of c-fos, cyclooxygenase-2, and osteopontin, and release of prostaglandin E(2). Osteoblasts with disrupted FAK signaling exhibited severely impaired mechanical responses in all endpoints examined. These data indicate the importance of FAK for both short and long periods of FSS-induced mechanotransduction in osteoblasts.

Signaling and transcriptional regulation in osteoblast commitment and differentiation

The major event that triggers osteogenesis is the transition of mesenchymal stem cells into bone forming, differentiating osteoblast cells. Osteoblast differentiation is the primary component of bone formation, exemplified by the synthesis, deposition and mineralization of extracellular matrix. Although not well understood, osteoblast differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells is a well-orchestrated process. Recent advances in molecular and genetic studies using gene targeting in mouse enable a better understanding of the multiple factors and signaling networks that control the differentiation process at a molecular level. Osteoblast commitment and differentiation are controlled by complex activities involving signal transduction and transcriptional regulation of gene expression. We review Wnt signaling pathway and Runx2 regulation network, which are critical for osteoblast differentiation. Many other factors and signaling pathways have been implicated in regulation of osteoblast differentiation in a network manner, such as the factors Osterix, ATF4, and SATB2 and the TGF-beta, Hedgehog, FGF, ephrin, and sympathetic signaling pathways. This review summarizes the recent advances in the studies of signaling transduction pathways and transcriptional regulation of osteoblast cell lineage commitment and differentiation. The knowledge of osteoblast commitment and differentiation should be applied towards the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives for human bone diseases.

Disruption of alpha-actinin-integrin interactions at focal adhesions renders osteoblasts susceptible to apoptosis

Maintenance of bone structural integrity depends in part on the rate of apoptosis of bone-forming osteoblasts. Because substrate adhesion is an important regulator of apoptosis, we have investigated the role of focal adhesions in regulating bone cell apoptosis. To test this, we expressed a truncated form of alpha-actinin (ROD-GFP) that competitively displaces endogenous alpha-actinin from focal adhesions, thus disrupting focal adhesions. Immunofluorescence and morphometric analysis of vinculin and tyrosine phosphorylation revealed that ROD-GFP expression dramatically disrupted focal adhesion organization and reduced tyrosine phosphorylation at focal adhesions. In addition, Bcl-2 protein levels were reduced in ROD-GFP-expressing cells, but caspase 3 cleavage, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, histone H2A.X phosphorylation, and cytotoxicity were not increased due to ROD-GFP expression alone. Increases in both ERK and Akt phosphorylation were also observed in ROD-GFP-expressing cells, although inhibition of either ERK or Akt individually or together failed to induce apoptosis. However, we did find that ROD-GFP expression sensitized, whereas alpha-actinin-GFP expression protected, cells from TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. Further investigation revealed that activation of TNF-alpha-induced survival signals, specifically Akt phosphorylation and NF-kappaB activation, was inhibited in ROD-GFP-expressing cells. The reduced expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and inhibited survival signaling rendered ROD-GFP-expressing cells more susceptible to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. Thus we conclude that alpha-actinin plays a role in regulating cell survival through stabilization of focal adhesions and regulation of TNF-alpha-induced survival signaling.

Fluid shear stress induces beta-catenin signaling in osteoblasts

beta-Catenin plays a dual role in cells: one at cell-cell junctions and one regulating gene transcription together with TCF (T-cell Factor) in the nucleus. Recently, a role for beta-catenin in osteoblast differentiation and gene expression has begun to be elucidated. Herein we investigated the effects of fluid shear stress (FSS) on beta-catenin signaling. FSS is a well-characterized anabolic stimulus for osteoblasts; however, the molecular mechanisms for the effects of this stimulation remain largely unknown. We found that 1 hour of laminar FSS (10 dynes/cm(2)) induced translocation of beta-catenin to the nucleus and activated a TCF-reporter gene. Analysis of upstream signals that may regulate beta-catenin signaling activity revealed two potential mechanisms for increased beta-catenin signaling. First, FSS induced a transient, but significant, increase in the phosphorylation of both glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) and Akt. Second, FSS reduced the levels of beta-catenin associated with N-cadherin, suggesting that less sequestration of beta-catenin by cadherins occurs in osteoblasts subjected to FSS. Functional analysts of potential genes regulated by beta-catenin signaling in osteoblasts revealed two novel observations. First, endogenous, nuclear beta-catenin purified from osteoblasts formed a complex with a TCF -binding element in the cyclooxygenase-2 promoter, and, second, overexpression of either a constitutively active beta-catenin molecule or inhibition of GSK-3beta activity increased basal cyclooxygenase-2 levels. Together, these data demonstrate for the first time that FSS modulates the activity of both GSK-3beta and beta-catenin and that these signaling molecules regulate cyclooxygenase-2 expression in osteoblasts.

Reduced bone resorption in toothless (osteopetrotic) rats--an abnormality of osteoblasts related to their inability to activate osteoclast activity in vitro

Osteopetrosis is a heterogeneous group of metabolic bone disorders characterized by reduced bone resorption. In the toothless (tl) osteopetrotic rat mutation there are few osteoclasts and mutants are not cured by bone marrow transplants. This suggests that the defect(s) in tl rats is within the skeletal microenvironment and not one of stem cell incompetence. Osteoblasts are known to play a role in bone resorption and abnormalities in these cells have been reported in tl rats. We explored the ability of osteoblasts from tl rats to activate resorption by normal osteoclasts when co-cultured in the presence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D). Stimulation with 1,25(OH)2D produced a highly significant response in normal osteoblast co-cultures, but no response was observed in mutant cultures over a wide dose range. Ligand-binding studies demonstrated no abnormalities in vitamin D receptor (VDR) affinity, but mutant osteoblasts had reduced VDR numbers. Taken together with the demonstrated resistance of these mutants to the hypercalcemic effects of 1,25(OH)2D and parathyroid hormone in vivo, these data implicate osteoblasts in the pathogenesis of this mutation.

Actin mRNA isoforms are differentially sorted in normal osteoblasts and sorting is altered in osteoblasts from a skeletal mutation in the rat

Actin isoform sorting has been shown to occur in a variety of cell types in culture. To this list we add osteoblasts, in which we show by in situ hybridization that beta-actin is distributed primarily in cell processes and on one side of the nucleus and gamma-actin has a perinuclear distribution. Osteoblasts from the skeletal mutation toothless (tl), evaluated under identical conditions, fail to sort these actin isoforms differentially and exhibit diffuse labeling as their major manifestation. Northern analyses of actin mRNAs showed no differences between normal and mutant cultures. Shortened osteoblast life span and an inability to direct osteoclast-mediated bone resorption have recently been demonstrated in tl mutants. The present results suggest that a failure of osteoblasts to sort actin mRNAs may be related to one or both of these pathological manifestations in this mutation and represent, to our knowledge, the first correlation of an actin mRNA-sorting abnormality with a mammalian disease.

Hypophosphatemia and the development of rickets in osteopetrotic (op/op) mice

Our previous work has shown that op/op mice hyperabsorb dietary calcium in the vitamin D-deficient state and shunt that calcium into bone. Under these conditions, the op/op mice are hypocalcemic. The purpose of this study was to examine calcium metabolism and bone mineralization in vitamin D-deficient op/op mice. First, the op/op mice and their normal littermates were placed on a vitamin D-deficient, low phosphorus diet to limit bone mineralization. Under these circumstances, op/op mice survived, even when calcium was also removed from the diet. If the diet contained phosphate, op/op mice died from hypocalcemic tetany when calcium was also removed from the diet. Furthermore, serum calcium levels became similar to wild type in the op/op mice administered the vitamin D-deficient, low phosphorus diet, and op/op mice were able to increase serum calcium in response to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. The op/op mice developed rickets when their serum phosphorus level was too low to support bone mineralization. The op/op mice became hypophosphatemic on regimens in which normal mice were able to maintain normal serum phosphorus levels. It appears that the op/op mouse simply requires a higher dietary calcium and phosphorus level to prevent rickets and hypocalcemic tetany since the bone is not available as a source of these minerals. However, the ability of the op/op mouse to mineralize bone at low serum calcium and phosphorus levels remains unexplained.

[Value of in vitro study of osteoclast precursors in the case of severe infantile osteopetrosis treated by bone marrow graft]

BACKGROUND

Pathogenesis of osteopetrosis is still debated. Testing the ability of osteoclastic progenitors to support the proliferation of functional cells may be useful in understanding pathogenesis.

CASE REPORT AND METHODS

A diagnosis of osteopetrosis was made in a girl 1 month-old, born to consanguuineous parents. Bone marrow transplantation was uneffective at the age of 3 months but a second engraftment was successful at 5 months. Unfortunately, the patient died from severe thrombocytopenia at the age of 8 months. Long-term cultures of mononucleated cells from the patient's blood were performed before and after the bone marrow transplantation, with or without growth factors such as vitamin D3, IL-6 and IL-1. Similar studies were made from the patient's marrow obtained after transplantation; all results were compared with those obtained after culturing control cells from cord blood umbilical.

RESULTS

Production of osteoclastic cells was mild in peripheral blood cultures; it was important in bone marrow cultures in presence of growth factors.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that osteopetrosis in our patient resulted from an intrinsic defect in progenitors of osteoclasts.

[Osteomyelitis of the facial skull in Albers-Schönberg osteopetrosis]

Albers-Schönberg osteopetrosis, a rare heritable bone disease with autosomal dominant or recessive transmission, is generally characterised by diffuse sclerosis of the whole skeleton accompanied by pathological bone fragility and delayed physical development, profound intractable myelophthisic anaemia, neurological deficits, and osteomyelitis, especially of the jaws and the skull. The precise aetiology of the osteopetrosis is not clear. Therefore therapy is restricted to alleviation of symptoms. In this study the case of a patient suffering from the benign form of osteopetrosis is presented. Osteomyelitis of the skull was treated successfully 2 years after the removal of lower and upper jaw teeth by a combined multistage surgical and antibiotic approach.

Abnormalities in bone cell function and endochondral ossification in the osteopetrotic toothless rat

The toothless (tl) rat is an osteopetrotic mutation whose excess skeletal mass is produced by a defect in its skeletal microenvironment. Its skeletal sclerosis fails to be cured by bone marrow transplantation but is largely reversed by exogenous administration of colony stimulating factor 1 which increases osteoclast neogenesis and resorptive activity. Recent studies have also indicated abnormalities in growth plate cartilage morphology and in osteoblast number and function in the tl rat. The present histomorphometric study examined static and kinetic parameters of bone cell and cartilage function in young (3-5-week-old) animals of tl stock for evidence of tissue level dysfunction. Mineralization of growth plate cartilage in mutants occurred only in the lateral regions of the growth plate, not in the central region, and longitudinal bone growth was significantly reduced (36%-61%) in mutants at the ages examined. Bone volume and trabecular thickness were greater in mutants despite significant reductions in their osteoblast populations and bone formation rates (two to threefold lower). Mutants also showed progressive age- and metaphyseal site-related decreases in osteoblast numbers which, compared to normal littermates, may relate to differences in osteoprogenitor cell pools, osteoblast lifespan, or resorption-derived skeletal growth factors locally available to support and maintain normal osteoblast phenotype. Osteoclast number per millimeter bone perimeter was reduced 96-fold in mutants and showed no age- or metaphyseal site-related changes. This study presents evidence in support of defects in chondrocyte and bone cell function in the tl rat and reveals the specific tissue locations where they occur.

Heterogeneity of colony stimulating factor-1 gene expression in the skeleton of four osteopetrotic mutations in rats and mice

Congenital osteopetrosis in mammals is an inherited bone disease caused by aberrations in osteoclast development and/or function. Colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) promotes formation of osteoclasts and is produced by osteoblasts. Recently, two osteopetrotic mutations (op mouse and tl rat) have been shown to have reductions in CSF-1 activity, and CSF-1 injections improve the skeletal manifestations in each. Several different CSF-1 transcripts have been described in mouse and human soft tissues, and differential expression of CSF-1 transcripts has been documented. Thus, we compared gene expression for CSF-1 as reflected by mRNA levels in the bones of tl rats and op mice, and also two other osteopetrotic rat mutations (ia and op). In op mouse calvaria the 4.6 kb transcript was reduced while the 2.3 kb transcript was absent. However, no differences were detected in the levels of these transcripts in mutant and normal calvaria of tl stock. In contrast, CSF-1 transcript levels were elevated in op rat mutants and variable in ia mutants compared to normal littermates. Osteoblast cultures derived from neonatal animals of tl and op rat stock showed the same differences seen in calvarial bone in vivo. The mRNA expression of another growth factor, TGF-beta 1, paralleled that of CSF-1 in vivo and in vitro in the rat mutations. These data demonstrate the emerging molecular heterogeneity among osteopetrotic mutations and underscore the need to evaluate the contributions of these and other cytokines to osteoclast differentiation and function in each mutation.

Use of bone cell cultures to study skeletal pathology

We describe procedures for the isolation, culture, and analysis of neonatal osteoblasts from osteopetrotic (toothless (tl) and osteopetrosis [op]) rats and normal littermates. Normal osteoblasts produce and mineralize an extracellular matrix indistinguishable from that of well-characterized fetal rat osteoblasts in vitro. Mutant (tl and op) cultures show an early abnormal pattern of cell proliferation and a later premature, extensive mineralization which mimic the mutant phenotype in vivo. In cocultures with normal osteoclasts, mutant (tl) osteoblasts also show a greatly reduced ability to orchestrate bone resorption, as revealed by pit formation in bone slices, in response to physiologic mediators. These phenomena in vitro are consistent with the behavior of mutant osteoblasts and osteoclasts in vivo and suggest that more definitive microscopic analyses of osteoblasts from each mutation in vitro will provide insights on the roles of osteoblasts in the compromised bone resorption which characterizes the osteopetroses as well as their role in osteoclast ontogeny. This study shows that when their behavior is confirmed in vivo, bone cell cultures offer rigorous systems for understanding skeletal cell dysfunction in normal and pathological development.

The heterogeneity of the osteopetroses reflects the diversity of cellular influences during skeletal development

Experimental studies of the mammalian osteopetroses, characterized by generalized skeletal sclerosis, have illuminated a variety of mechanisms by which bone resorption can be reduced. We review recent data implicating a diverse group of growth factors, proto-oncogenes, and immune regulators that can influence skeletal development and account for the heterogeneity of the osteopetroses. Furthermore, similar studies are likely to continue to provide for improved clinical management of both osteopetrotic children and the localized and generalized osteopenias.

In vivo, human parathyroid hormone fragment (hPTH 1-34) transiently stimulates immediate early response gene expression, but not proliferation, in trabecular bone cells of young rats

Intermittent PTH increases trabecular bone mass in vivo by stimulating osteoblast differentiation to increase bone formation. The molecular events that mediate the anabolic effect of PTH on osteoblasts have not been characterized. We investigated if PTH regulated mRNA expression of proto-oncogenes, c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc, early response genes that have been shown to be involved in the regulation of both cell proliferation and differentiation. As PTH also regulates the early expression of the cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), in bone cells in vitro, we also investigated if this occurred in vivo, in concert with the other early response genes. Northern blot hybridization was used to analyze mRNA expression in the metaphysis of the distal femur of young rats. To determine the proliferative state in these femurs, mRNA expression of the cell proliferation marker histone, H4, was assessed. Subcutaneous administration of a single injection of human PTH (1-34) at 8 micrograms/100 g, a dose known to increase bone forming surfaces, induced rapid and transient expression of c-fos, c-jun, c-myc, and IL-6 mRNA. A second novel transcript for IL-6 was detected, but its significance remains unknown. Induction of all these messages was evident by 1 h; the levels of mRNA returned to baseline after 3-6 h. Concurrently, PTH had a small inhibitory effect on the expression of histone H4 mRNA. We conclude that, in vivo, PTH upregulates cell differentiation in trabecular bone by transient stimulation of the early response genes and IL-6, while downregulating cell proliferation.

Osteoblasts from the toothless (osteopetrotic) mutation in the rat are unable to direct bone resorption by normal osteoclasts in response to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D

Osteopetrosis describes a diversified group of metabolic bone disorders characterized by a generalized, skeletal sclerosis resulting from reduced osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. The toothless (tl) osteopetrotic mutation in the rat is characterized by few osteoclasts and the inability to be cured by transplants of hemopoietic stem cells. This implies that the defect(s) responsible for reduced osteoclast activity in tl rats is within the skeletal microenvironment (cells or matrices). Osteoblasts and their products are known to play a role in regulating bone resorption and abnormalities in the osteoblast population in tl rats have been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine whether osteoblasts isolated from tl mutant rats, when cultured with normal osteoclasts, could increase bone resorption (pit formation) in response to stimulation by 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D). The addition of 1,25(OH)2D produced a highly significant response in normal osteoblast cocultures but no response in mutant cultures. A dose response study with 1,25(OH)2D (10(-6) to 10(-9)M) revealed that mutant osteoblasts are unable to increase osteoclast activity. These data indicate that the vitamin D receptor-signal transduction pathway in tl rats needs to be examined.

Administration of colony stimulating factor-1 to toothless osteopetrotic rats normalizes osteoblast, but not osteoclast, gene expression

The toothless (tl) osteopetrotic mutation in the rat is characterized by generalized skeletal sclerosis, a severe reduction in the numbers of osteoclasts, monocytes, and macrophages, and absence of tooth eruption. Studies examining gene expression in bone-derived cells of tl rats and their normal littermates have shown that genes related to osteoblast function are aberrantly expressed in tl rats compared to normal littemates. We have previously shown that exogenous administration of colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) to tl rats results in a dramatic reduction of the skeletal sclerosis and significant increases in the number of osteoclasts. Thus, we examined the effects of CSF-1 on osteoblast and osteoclast gene expression in tl rats as demonstrated by Northern blot analysis. While osteoblast-related gene expression as reflected by mRNA levels of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and type I collagen was normalized, osteoclast-related gene expression, as reflected by mRNA levels of carbonic anhydrase II and tartrate-resistant adenosine triphosphatase, remained significantly lower in CSF-1-treated tl rats compared to untreated normal littermates. Since previous studies have not demonstrated the CSF-1 receptor on osteoblasts, these results suggest that osteoblast abnormalities in tl rats are an effect of the osteopetrotic condition rather than the cause of the disease.