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Biomedical subjects

Tim Cundy

Publications and source records attributed to Tim Cundy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Differential gene expression in cultured osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cells from patients with Paget's disease of bone.

UNLABELLED: Paget's disease is a focal condition of bone. To study changes in cells within pagetic lesions, we cultured osteoblasts and stromal cells from 22 patients and compared gene expression in these cells to cells from healthy bone. We identified several differentially regulated genes, and we suggest that these changes could lead to the formation of the lesions. INTRODUCTION: Paget's disease is a focal condition of bone of unknown cause. Although it is regarded as primarily an osteoclast disorder, the tight coupling of the activity of osteoclasts and osteoblasts suggests that the osteoblast could play a key role in its pathogenesis. The aim of the study was to identify possible changes in pagetic osteoblasts and stromal cells that might contribute to the development of pagetic lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Candidate genes were identified based on known bone cell regulators, supplemented with microarray analysis. Gene expression was determined by real-time PCR in primary cultures of osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cells from pagetic patients and control subjects. Concentrations of secreted proteins were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Dickkopf1 mRNA and protein levels were increased in both pagetic osteoblast and stromal cell cultures, and interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 were overexpressed in pagetic osteoblasts. These changes parallel recent findings in myeloma bone disease, which shares some clinical similarities with Paget's disease. Alkaline phosphatase was overexpressed, and bone sialoprotein and osteocalcin were underexpressed in pagetic osteoblasts, consistent with their circulating levels in pagetic patients. It is hypothesized that overexpression of Dickkopf1, IL-1, and IL-6 would result in stimulation of osteoclast proliferation and inhibition of osteoblast growth, leading to the development of the characteristic lytic bone lesions. By stimulating osteoblast differentiation, Dickkopf1 and IL-6 may also promote mineralization, leading to the conversion of lytic lesions to sclerotic. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that dysregulated gene expression in pagetic osteoblasts could cause the changes in bone cell number and function characteristic of Paget's disease.

Aged↗

Delayed development of Paget's disease in offspring inheriting SQSTM1 mutations.

UNLABELLED: Familial Paget's disease is associated with mutations in SQSTM1. We compared the age at diagnosis and severity of Paget's disease in parents with SQSTM1 mutations to their offspring who inherited a mutation. At any given age, the offspring were less likely to be diagnosed with Paget's disease and had less severe disease than their parents. INTRODUCTION: Mutations in sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) occur in 25-50% of cases of familial Paget's disease and are thought to be disease-causing. We sought to determine whether there are differences in age at diagnosis and severity of disease in parents and their offspring who share the same genetic predisposition to Paget's disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-four offspring from 10 families (29 index patients with Paget's disease) with mutations in SQSTM1 were approached, and 58 agreed to participate. The ubiquitin-binding domain region of SQSTM1 was sequenced, and the presence or absence of the known mutation was established. The presence of Paget's disease in offspring who had inherited an SQSTM1 mutation was determined by bone scintigraphy and measurement of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP). RESULTS: Twenty-three of 58 offspring had inherited a germline mutation in SQSTM1. The mean ALP was 77 U/liter in offspring with mutations and 72 U/liter in those without mutations (p=0.84). Scintiscans from four offspring (mean age, 45 years; mean ALP, 139 U/liter; mean skeletal involvement, 6%) showed evidence of Paget's disease but were normal in the other 19 (mean age, 44 years; mean ALP, 64 U/liter). In comparison, in the 15 parents of the 23 offspring, the mean age of diagnosis was 48 years, the mean ALP was 850 U/liter, and the mean skeletal involvement was 30%. There was a 63% reduction in the risk of being diagnosed with Paget's disease at a comparable age in the offspring compared with the parents (p=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Only 17% of offspring inheriting an SQSTM1 mutation had evidence of Paget's disease on scintigraphy, and this was diagnosed at a later age and was less extensive than in their affected parents. SQSTM1 thus shows incomplete penetrance. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that an environmental factor is important in the pathogenesis and clinical phenotype of familial Paget's disease and that exposure to this factor may be falling.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Osteonecrosis of the jaw and bisphosphonates--putting the risk in perspective.

Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a poorly understood condition that has recently been associated with the use of potent bisphosphonate treatment. The prevalence appears to be approximately 1-10% in patients with malignancy treated with very high doses of intravenous bisphosphonates. In Paget's disease and osteoporosis, where the doses of bisphosphonate used are an order of magnitude lower than the oncology dose, the prevalence appears to be much lower--probably less than 1 in 60,000. The aim of this article is to put the risks of osteonecrosis of the jaw into context with the benefits of bisphosphonate treatment in these clinical scenarios.

Aged↗

Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and bone mineral density in adolescents--the Black Box Warning: a Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

The purpose of this Position Paper is to review the published Black Box Warning regarding depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and bone loss as it relates to adolescent girls. The scientific findings that prompted the Food and Drug Administration to issue the warning are reviewed and the following additional issues are considered: (1) likely low risk of fracture related to DMPA use, (2) evidence of at least partial recovery after discontinuation of the method, and (3) the need to balance the physical, social and economic cost of adolescent pregnancy versus the immediate and long-term impact of DMPA on bone. A list of clinical guidelines is included, the main recommendation of which is to continue prescription of DMPA, with counseling about the risks and benefits, in most of the adolescent population desiring to use this contraceptive method.

Adolescent↗

Peak bone mass after exposure to antenatal betamethasone and prematurity: follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.

UNLABELLED: Small birth size is associated with reduced adult bone mass. We determined if antenatal betamethasone exposure, birth weight, or prematurity affects peak bone mass in 174 adults. Antenatal betamethasone exposure did not. Lower birth weight and prematurity predicted reduced adult height. Slower fetal growth rather than prematurity predicted lower bone mass, but this lower bone mass was appropriate for reduced adult height. INTRODUCTION: Small size at birth is reported to be associated with lower bone mass in adulthood. However, previous studies have not distinguished the relative contributions of length of gestation and fetal growth to size at birth. Fetal exposure to excess glucocorticoids has been proposed as a core mechanism underlying the associations between birth size and later disease risk. Antenatal glucocorticoids are given to pregnant women at risk for preterm delivery for the prevention of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in their infants. We determined the relationship of antenatal exposure to betamethasone, birth weight, and prematurity to peak bone mass and femoral geometry in the adult survivors of the first randomized trial of antenatal glucocorticoids. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 174 young adults (mean age, 31 years) whose mothers participated in a randomized trial of antenatal betamethasone. Mothers received two doses of intramuscular betamethasone or placebo 24 h apart. Two thirds of participants were born preterm (<37 weeks gestation). We measured indices of bone mass and size and derived estimates of volumetric density and bone geometry from DXA assessments of the lumbar spine, femur, and total body. RESULTS: There were no differences between betamethasone-exposed and placebo-exposed groups in any of the lumbar spine, femur, or total body DXA measures. There was no effect of antenatal betamethasone on adult height, although leg length was increased relative to trunk length (p = 0.002). A lighter birth weight (p <or = 0.001) and lower gestational age (p = 0.013) were associated with shorter stature (height Z scores) at age 31 years. Prematurity had no effect on peak bone mass or femoral geometry. However, lower birth weight, independent of gestational age, was associated with lower later bone mass (p < 0.001 for lumbar spine and total body, p = 0.003 for femoral neck BMC). These effects on bone mass were related to bone size and not to estimates of volumetric density. In the femur, lower birth weight, independent of gestational age, was associated with narrowing of the upper shaft and narrow neck regions. CONCLUSIONS: Antenatal betamethasone exposure does not affect peak bone mass or femoral geometry in adulthood. Birth weight and prematurity predict adult height, but it is slower fetal growth, rather than prematurity, that predicts lower peak bone mass. The lower peak bone mass in those born small is appropriate for their adult height.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Is the prevalence of Paget's disease of bone decreasing?

UNLABELLED: Secular trends in the severity and prevalence of Paget's disease over a 30-year period are described. Paget's disease has become less prevalent and patients are presenting later, with less severe disease than previously. These data suggest that environmental factors are important in the etiology of Paget's disease. INTRODUCTION: Data from several countries support the view that there are important secular trends in the prevalence and severity of Paget's disease. In this paper, recent trends in the epidemiology of Paget's disease are described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A database of all newly referred patients (n = 1487) with Paget's disease (1973-2002 inclusive, 30 years) was examined. Of these subjects, 56% had scintiscans. Plasma total alkaline phosphatase (total ALP) activity and disease extent on scintiscan were used as indices of severity. A radiographic prevalence survey of 1019 subjects of European origin >55 years of age in Dunedin was undertaken- approximately 20 years after an earlier survey had shown New Zealand to be a high prevalence area. RESULTS: The number of new referrals with Paget's disease declined sharply from 1994 onward, to one half the rate seen 20 years earlier, whereas the mean age at presentation increased by 4 years per decade (p < 0.0001). Total ALP at diagnosis, disease extent on scintiscan, and the number of bones involved were all negatively correlated with both date of birth (p < 0.0001) and year of presentation (p < 0.0001), indicating that more recently born and presenting subjects had substantially less severe bone disease. The radiographic survey showed that the current prevalence was only approximately 50% of that in the 1983 survey (p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Although there are a number of potential biases, these data are consistent with a continued secular trend to presentation in older subjects with less extensive skeletal involvement and a declining prevalence of Paget's disease.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Evaluation of the role of Valosin-containing protein in the pathogenesis of familial and sporadic Paget's disease of bone.

Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is a common metabolic bone disease of late onset with a strong genetic component. Rarely, PDB can occur as part of a syndrome in which the disease is accompanied by inclusion body myopathy and frontotemporal dementia (inclusion body myopathy, Paget's disease and frontotemporal dementia, IBMPFD). Recently, IBMPFD has been shown to be caused by mutations in Valosin-containing Protein (VCP), which is required for the proteasomal degradation of phosphorylated IkappaB-alpha, a necessary step in the activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB. Here, we evaluated the role of VCP in the pathogenesis of typical PDB. We conducted mutation screening of VCP in 44 kindreds with familial Paget's disease recruited mainly through clinic referrals in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. We also performed an association study of VCP haplotypes in patients with PDB who did not have a family history of the disease (sporadic PDB). No mutations were found in VCP in three PDB families where there was evidence of allele sharing between affected subjects in the VCP critical region on chromosome 9p13. We failed to detect disease-associated mutations in any of the three exons previously reported to contain IBMPFD mutations in a further 41 PDB families. We found no evidence of allelic association between common VCP haplotypes in a case-control study of 179 sporadic PDB patients and 172 age- and sex-matched controls. Genetic variation in VCP does not appear to be a common cause of familial or sporadic PDB in the absence of myopathy and dementia.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Recombinant osteoprotegerin for juvenile Paget's disease.

Juvenile Paget's disease, a genetic bone disease characterized by accelerated bone turnover, results from inactivating mutations in the gene encoding osteoprotegerin--a key regulator of osteoclastogenesis. The effects of recombinant osteoprotegerin were investigated in two adult siblings with juvenile Paget's disease. Bone resorption (assessed by N-telopeptide excretion) was suppressed by once-weekly subcutaneous doses of 0.3 to 0.4 mg per kilogram of body weight. After 15 months of treatment, radial bone mass increased in one patient by 9 percent and in the other by 30 percent, skeletal bisphosphonate retention decreased by 37 percent and 55 percent, respectively, and there was radiographic improvement. Apart from mild hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia, no apparent adverse events occurred.

Adult↗

Increased abdominal fat in young women of Indian origin.

People of Indian origin develop type 2 diabetes at a relatively young age and low body mass index compared to people of other racial groups, possibly because of preferential accumulation of abdominal fat. We examined the relationship between abdominal fat and body mass index (BMI) in healthy premenopausal women of different racial groups, and compared abdominal fat measurements at different ages. Women of Chinese, European, Indian or Polynesian origin (50 of each, mean age 31) had dual energy x-ray absorptiometry of the lumbar spine, with estimation of the percentage fat in the abdominal area. Polynesian women had a significantly greater mean BMI (P< 0.001) than all other groups, and a higher abdominal fat than European and Chinese woman (P< 0.001). Although the Indian women had a similar mean BMI to the European and Chinese women, they had a significantly greater abdominal fat (P<0.001). When examined by age tertile, the Indian women had significantly more abdominal fat than Chinese or European women at all ages (P<0.001), with marked differences evident even in the youngest group (mean age 23 years). Compared to other racial groups, women of Indian origin preferentially accumulate abdominal fat--a trait that is well established in young adulthood.

Abdomen↗

(23S)-25-Dehydro-1{alpha}-hydroxyvitamin D3-26,23-lactone, a vitamin D receptor antagonist that inhibits osteoclast formation and bone resorption in bone marrow cultures from patients with Paget's disease.

Osteoclast (OCL) precursors from patients with Paget's disease (PD) and normal OCL precursors transduced with the measles virus nucleocapsid protein gene (MVNP) are hyperresponsive to 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3)] and can form OCLs at physiologic concentrations of 1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3). This hyperresponsivity to 1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3) is due to increased expression of TATA box-associated factor II-17, a potential coactivator of the vitamin D receptor. Hyperresponsivity to 1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3) may permit OCL formation in PD patients with low levels of 1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3) and play a role in the pathogenesis of PD. Therefore, we tested the effects of a vitamin D antagonist, (23S)-25-dehydro-1alpha-hydroxyvitamin D(3)-26,23-lactone (TEI-9647), to determine its potential to inhibit the enhanced OCL formation and bone resorption seen in patients with PD. TEI-9647, by itself, was not a vitamin D receptor agonist and did not induce OCL formation in vitro, even at 10(-6) m. However, it dose-dependently (10(-10) m to 10(-6) m) inhibited osteoclast formation induced by concentrations of 1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3) (41 pg/ml, 10(-10) m) detected in PD patients by bone marrow cells of patients with PD and MVNP-transduced colony-forming unit-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM) cells, which form pagetic-like OCL. Moreover, bone resorption by OCLs derived from MVNP-transduced CFU-GM treated with 10(-9) m 1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3) was dose-dependently inhibited by TEI-9647 (10(-9) m to 10(-6) m). Furthermore, 10(-7) m TEI-9647 by itself did not cause 1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3)-dependent gene expression but almost completely suppressed expression of the TATA box-associated factor II-17 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3)-24-hydroxylase genes induced by 1alpha,25-(OH)(2)D(3) treatment of MVNP-transduced CFU-GM cells. These results demonstrate that TEI-9647 can suppress the excessive bone resorption and OCL formation seen in marrow cultures from patients with PD.

Bone Marrow Cells↗

Ubiquitin-associated domain mutations of SQSTM1 in Paget's disease of bone: evidence for a founder effect in patients of British descent.

UNLABELLED: Mutations in the UBA domain of SQSTM1 are a common cause of Paget's disease of bone. Here we show that the most common disease-causing mutation (P392L) is carried on a shared haplotype, consistent with a founder effect and a common ancestral origin. INTRODUCTION: Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is a common condition with a strong genetic component. Mutations affecting the ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain of sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) have recently been shown to be an important cause of PDB. The most common mutation results in a proline to leucine amino acid change at codon 392 (P392L), and evidence has been presented to suggest that there may be a recurrent mutation rather than a founder mutation on an ancestral chromosome. Because marked geographical differences exist in the prevalence of PDB, we have investigated the frequency of SQSTM1 mutations in different populations and looked for a founder effect on chromosomes bearing SQSTM1 UBA domain mutations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted mutation screening of SQSTM1 and performed haplotype analysis using the PHASE software program in 83 kindreds with familial PDB, recruited mainly through clinic referrals in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Similar studies were conducted in 311 individuals with PDB who did not have a family history and 375 age- and sex-matched controls from the United Kingdom. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with familial PDB who had SQSTM1 UBA domain mutations varied somewhat between referral centers from 7.1% (Sydney, Australia) to 50% (Perth, Australia), but the difference between centers was not statistically significant. Haplotype analysis in 311 British patients with PDB who did not have a family history and 375 age- and sex-matched British controls showed that two common haplotypes accounted for about 90% of alleles at the SQSTM1 locus, as defined by common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 6 (C916T, G976A) and the 3'UTR (C2503T, T2687G). These were H1 (916T-976A-2503C-2687T) and H2 (916C-976G-2503T-2687G). There was no significant difference in haplotype distribution in PDB cases and controls, but the P392L mutation was found on the H2 haplotype in 25/27 cases (93%), which is significantly more often than expected given the allele frequencies in the normal population (odds ratio, 13.2; 95% CI, 3.1-56.4; p < 0.0001). Similar findings were observed in familial PDB, where 12/13 (92%) of P392L mutations were carried on H2 (odds ratio 17.2; 95% CI, 2.2-138; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results provide strong evidence for a founder effect of the SQSTM1 P392L mutation in PDB patients of British descent, irrespective of family history. Our results imply that these individuals share a common ancestor and that the true rate of de novo mutations may be lower than previously suspected.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Susceptibility to Paget's disease of bone is influenced by a common polymorphic variant of osteoprotegerin.

UNLABELLED: To clarify the role of the TNFRSF11B gene encoding osteoprotegerin (OPG), in Paget's disease of bone (PDB) we studied TNFRSF11B polymorphisms in an association study of 690 UK subjects and in a worldwide familial study of 66 kindreds. We found that the G1181 allele of TNFRSF11B, encoding lysine at codon 3 of the OPG protein, predisposes to both sporadic and familial PDB. INTRODUCTION: Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is a common disorder characterized by focal abnormalities of bone turnover. Genetic factors are important in the pathogenesis of PDB, and studies have shown that inactivating mutations of the TNFRSF11B gene, encoding osteoprotegerin (OPG), cause the rare syndrome of juvenile Paget's disease. In this study, we sought to determine whether polymorphisms of the TNFRSF11B gene contribute to the pathogenesis of classical PDB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We screened for polymorphisms of the TNFRSF11B gene by DNA sequencing of the proximal promoter, coding exons, and intron-exon boundaries in 20 PDB patients and 10 controls. Informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including a G1181C SNP, which predicts a lysine-asparagine substitution at codon 3 of the OPG signal peptide and haplotypes, were related to the presence of PDB in 312 cases compared with 378 controls and to transmission of PDB in 140 affected offspring from 66 kindreds with familial PDB. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The G1181 allele was significantly over-represented in PDB patients (chi(2) = 5.7, df = 1, p = 0.017, adjusted alpha = 0.024), equivalent to an odds ratio for PDB of 1.55 (95% CI: 1.11-2.16). The distribution of TNFRSF11B haplotypes significantly differed in sporadic PDB cases and controls (chi(2) = 30.2, df = 9, p < 0.001) because of over-representation of haplotypes containing the G1181 allele in cases. The family study showed that the most common haplotype containing the G1181 allele was transmitted more frequently than expected to 140 individuals with familial PDB (chi(2) = 7.35, df = 1, p < 0.01), and the transmission disequilibrium was even more pronounced in a subgroup of 78 familial PDB patients who did not carry mutations of the SQSTM1 gene (chi(2) = 8.44, df = 1, p < 0.005). We conclude that the G1181 allele of TNFRSF11B, encoding lysine at codon 3 of the OPG protein, predisposes to the development of sporadic PDB and familial PDB that is not caused by SQSTM1 mutations.

Aged↗

Novel UBA domain mutations of SQSTM1 in Paget's disease of bone: genotype phenotype correlation, functional analysis, and structural consequences.

UNLABELLED: Three novel missense mutations of SQSTM1 were identified in familial PDB, all affecting the UBA domain. Functional and structural analysis showed that disease severity was related to the type of mutation but was unrelated to the polyubiquitin-binding properties of the mutant UBA domain peptides. INTRODUCTION: Mutations affecting the ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain of Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) gene have recently been identified as a common cause of familial Paget's disease of bone (PDB), but the mechanisms responsible are unclear. We identified three novel SQSTM1 mutations in PDB, conducted functional and structural analyses of all PDB-causing mutations, and studied the relationship between genotype and phenotype. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mutation screening of the SQSTM1 gene was conducted in 70 kindreds with familial PDB. We characterized the effect of the mutations on structure of the UBA domain by protein NMR, studied the effects of the mutant UBA domains on ubiquitin binding, and looked at genotype-phenotype correlations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Three novel missense mutations affecting the SQSTM1 UBA domain were identified, including a missense mutation at codon 411 (G411S), a missense mutation at codon 404 (M404V), and a missense mutation at codon 425 (G425R). We also identified a deletion leading to a premature stop codon at 394 (L394X). None of the mutations were found in controls. Structural analysis showed that M404V and G425R involved residues on the hydrophobic surface patch implicated in ubiquitin binding, and consistent with this, the G425R and M404V mutants abolished the ability of mutant UBA domains to bind polyubiquitin chains. In contrast, the G411S and P392L mutants bound polyubiquitin chains normally. Genotype-phenotype analysis showed that patients with truncating mutations had more extensive PDB than those with missense mutations (bones involved = 6.05 +/- 2.71 versus 3.45 +/- 2.46; p < 0.0001). This work confirms the importance of UBA domain mutations of SQSTM1 as a cause of PDB but shows that there is no correlation between the ubiquitin-binding properties of the different mutant UBA domains and disease occurrence or extent. This indicates that the mechanism of action most probably involves an interaction between SQSTM1 and a hitherto unidentified protein that modulates bone turnover.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Role of TAFII-17, a VDR binding protein, in the increased osteoclast formation in Paget's Disease.

UNLABELLED: In contrast to normal OCL precursors, pagetic OCL precursors express MVNP and form OCL at physiologic concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3, as do normal OCL precursors transfected with the MVNP gene. Using a GST-VDR chimeric protein, we identified TAFII-17 as VDR binding protein expressed by pagetic OCL precursors and MVNP transduced normal OCL precursors. TAF(II)-17 was in part responsible for the increased 1,25(OH)2D3 responsivity of pagetic OCL precursors. INTRODUCTION: Pagetic osteoclasts (OCLs) and their precursors express measles virus nucleocapsid protein (MVNP) and form large numbers of OCLs at low concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3]. Similarly, normal OCL precursors transfected with MVNP also form OCLs at low concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3. These results suggest that expression of MVNP in OCL precursors enhances vitamin D receptor (VDR)-mediated gene transcription. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To determine the mechanism for the increased OCL formation capacity of pagetic OCL precursors in response to 1,25(OH)2D3, lysates from pagetic and MVNP-transduced normal OCL precursors were incubated with a GST-VDR chimeric protein. RESULTS: A 17-kDa peptide that bound VDR was detected in MVNP-transduced cells and pagetic OCL precursors treated with 1,25(OH)2D3. This peptide was identified as TAFII-17, a component of the TFIID transcription complex. Expression of increased levels of TAFII-17 in cells allowed TAFII-17 to bind to VDR at low concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3. An antisense oligonucelotide (AS-ODN) to TAFII-17 significantly decreased OCL formation in response to 1,25(OH)2D3 in pagetic but not normal marrow cultures by approximately 40%. Transfection of TAFII-17 or MVNP into NIH3T3 cells increased VDR transcriptional activity as measured by DR-3 reporter assays. CONCLUSION: These data show that expression of the MVNP gene in OCL precursors results in increased levels of TAFII-17. TAFII-17 can bind VDR at low concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3. These results suggest that MVNP expression in Paget's OCL precursors increases expression of a component(s) of the VDR transcription complex that can increase OCL formation.

Bone Marrow Cells↗

Treatment of idiopathic hyperphosphatasia with intensive bisphosphonate therapy.

UNLABELLED: In a family with IH, a rare high turnover bone disease, two older siblings were wheelchair-bound with severe skeletal deformity by age 15. Their youngest affected sibling was treated intensively with intravenous bisphosphonates for 3 years. The treatment was well tolerated and prevented the development of deformity and disability. INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic hyperphosphatasia (IH, also known as juvenile Paget's disease) is a rare genetic bone disease characterized by very high bone turnover and progressive bony deformity. Inhibitors of bone resorption have been used to suppress bone turnover in the short term, but there is no published data on long-term efficacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An 11-year-old girl with IH, who had two severely affected older siblings, presented with progressive deformity and deafness and long bone fractures. Conventional pediatric doses of pamidronate had failed to prevent clinical deterioration or suppress bone turnover completely. Intensive bisphosphonate therapy (frequent 5-mg ibandronate infusions) was given to try and arrest progression of the skeletal disease. Growth and development, pure tone audiometry, biochemistry, radiology, densitometry (DXA), and bone histology were monitored. RESULTS: A total of 45 mg ibandronate was given over 3 years until skeletal maturity was reached (20, 15, and 10 mg for years 1-3, respectively). Ibandronate treatment was well tolerated, and biochemical markers of bone turnover suppressed to within the age-appropriate normal range There was some progression of her thoracic kyphosis, but she had no further fractures and remained mobile and active at an age when her siblings had become wheelchair-bound. A significant recovery of hearing (p < 0.01) was documented, particularly at low frequencies. Radiographs showed improvement in spinal osteoporosis and cortical bone dimensions and arrest of progressive acetabular protrusion. Areal bone density increased substantially (lumbar spine z-score from -2.2 to + 1.8). Tetracycline-labeled bone biopsy specimens were taken before and after 18 months of intensive treatment. The second biopsy showed suppression of bone turnover and a doubling of trabecular thickness, with no mineralization defect, and no osteopetrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Intensive bisphosphonate treatment prevented the development of deformity and disability and improved hearing in this child with IH. The dose of bisphosphonate, which is substantially greater than is usually used in pediatric bone disease, had no adverse effects, in particular on bone mineralization.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗