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Targeting simian virus 40 T antigen to the osteoclast in transgenic mice causes osteoclast tumors and transformation and apoptosis of osteoclasts.

Osteoclasts are terminally differentiated cells that express tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) at a higher level than other normal cells. Therefore, in an attempt to develop immortalized osteoclasts, we produced two lines of transgenic mice in which expression of the simian virus 40 T antigen oncogene was targeted to osteoclasts using the TRAP gene promoter. Osteoclasts were increased in number in bones from both lines. More than 50% of them appeared morphologically transformed, 2-5% were mitotic, but, unexpectedly, 5% were apoptotic. Osteoclast tumors were observed occasionally in one line of mice (line 4), and sheets of TRAP-positive cells (tumorlets) developed in most mice in both lines. Although cells isolated from these tumorlets formed multinucleated TRAP-positive cells that resorbed bone in vitro, to date we have been unable to develop an immortalized osteoclast cell line from them. Osteoclasts from one line (line 5) had reduced ruffled border formation and a higher level of T-antigen expression than osteoclasts in the other line (line 4), and these features were associated with the presence of osteopetrosis. However, osteoclasts from these osteopetrotic mice and from line 4 mice resorbed bone normally when the mice were treated with interleukin-1. These findings indicate that T antigen can be targeted to osteoclasts in transgenic mice and causes osteoclast transformation, tumors, mitosis, and apoptosis. When T antigen is expressed at high levels, functional impairment of osteoclasts can be detected. Furthermore, these results suggest that T antigen is insufficient on its own to immortalize cells in the osteoclast lineage.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Behaviour of osteoclasts in vitro: contact behaviour of osteoclasts with osteoblast-like cells and networking of osteoclasts for 3D orientation.

The cell-cell contact-induced behaviour of osteoclasts and osteoblasts in vitro was investigated by time-lapse videomicroscopy. Contact interactions of osteoclasts with autologous cells, derived mostly from chick but also from rat bones, included contact inhibition, failure of contact inhibition, contact guidance along stabilised edges of other cells, and underlapping of other cells. Message-mediated contact behaviour (MMCB) between osteoclasts and autologous osteoblastic cells resulted, after a time delay, in zeiosis of the osteoblast-like cell which could continue, or even begin, after the osteoclast broke contact, leading to retraction of the cell and occupation of its position by the osteoclast. MMCB may play a part in the breaching of the osteoblastic sheet by osteoclasts and, in general, in the malignant spread of neoplastic cells. Two or more osteoclasts were often joined by connecting and coordinating tubules (CCTs) of varied, and varying, lengths and widths. Osteoclasts could travel along the CCTs in both directions, or send nuclei through them. The CCTs became temporarily attached to the surface of other cells, or to the substrate, then acting as a temporary anchorage for orientation and for the return of the cell to the same spot. The dynamics of osteoclastic behaviour suggest that such a networking of osteoclasts is valuable for the 3D coordination of their role in bone turnover.

Animals↗

Dexamethasone enhances osteoclast formation synergistically with transforming growth factor-beta by stimulating the priming of osteoclast progenitors for differentiation into osteoclasts.

Long-term administration of glucocorticoids (GCs) causes osteoporosis with a rapid and severe bone loss and with a slow and prolonged bone disruption. Although the involvement of GCs in osteoblastic proliferation and differentiation has been studied extensively, their direct action on osteoclasts is still controversial and not conclusive. In this study, we investigated the direct participation of GCs in osteoclastogenesis. Dexamethasone (Dex) at <10(-8) M stimulated, but at >10(-7) M depressed, receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast formation synergistically with transforming growth factor-beta. The stimulatory action of Dex was restricted to the early phase of osteoclast differentiation and enhanced the priming of osteoclast progenitors (bone marrow-derived monocytes/macrophages) toward differentiation into cells of the osteoclast lineage. The osteoclast differentiation depending on RANKL requires the activation of NF-kappaB and AP-1, and the DNA binding of these transcription factors to their respective consensus cis-elements was enhanced by Dex, consistent with the stimulation of osteoclastogenesis. However, Dex did not affect the RANKL-induced signaling pathways such as the activation of IkappaB kinase followed by NF-kappaB nuclear translocation or the activation of JNK. On the other hand, Dex significantly decreased the endogenous production of interferon-beta, and this cytokine depressed the RANKL-elicited DNA binding of NF-kappaB and AP-1, as well as osteoclast formation. Thus, the down-regulation of inhibitory cytokines such as interferon-beta by Dex may allow the osteoclast progenitors to be freed from the suppression of osteoclastogenesis, resulting in an increased number of osteoclasts, as is observed in the early phase of GC-induced osteoporosis.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Effect of medium pH on osteoclast activity and osteoclast formation in cultures of dispersed rabbit osteoclasts.

We investigated the effect of medium pH on activity of isolated osteoclasts and have also looked at the possibility that medium pH affects osteoclast numbers during culture. Osteoclast-containing cell suspensions prepared from neonatal rabbits were cultured on bovine bone slices at pH 6.5, 7.0, or 7.5. After 24 or 48 h of culture, the cells and bone slices were fixed and stained for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). After counting the osteoclasts, the cells were removed and the resorption lacunae stained by immunostaining using anticollagen type I antibody and then quantitated. We found that the resorptive activity of isolated rabbit osteoclasts was sharply increased at pH 6.5-7. Osteoclast differentiation and proliferation, on the other hand, were optimal at pH 7.0-7.5 but decreased at pH 6.5. The results thus imply that pH regulation of the bone surface environment can dramatically alter both the number of osteoclasts and their resorptive activity.

Animals↗

A new method to isolate large numbers of rabbit osteoclasts and osteoclast-like cells: application to the characterization of serum response element binding proteins during osteoclast differentiation.

We have developed a new method that allows the purification of large numbers of both authentic osteoclasts (OCs) and in vitro differentiated osteoclast-like cells (OCLs) from rabbits. We characterized the OCLs in terms of the expression of different phenotypic markers of OC differentiation and their ability to resorb bone. The method provides a system for performing biochemical and molecular studies of OC differentiation and function in a single species. We used this system to characterize the effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) on the expression of proteins that bind to the serum response element (SRE) of the c-fos promoter. We found that OCLs and OCs displayed similar SRE-binding activities, including the serum response factor (SRF). This pattern is established in a time-dependent and cell-specific manner in response to long-term treatment of rabbit bone marrow by 1,25(OH)2D3. Thus, 1,25(OH)2D3 can modulate SRF and/or SRF-related protein. This finding may contribute to understanding the role of c-Fos in the regulation of OC differentiation.

Animals↗

Osteoclasts formed by measles virus-infected osteoclast precursors from hCD46 transgenic mice express characteristics of pagetic osteoclasts.

Pagetic osteoclasts (OCLs) are abnormal in size and contain paramyxoviral-like nuclear inclusions that cross-react with antibodies to measles virus (MV). However, the role that MV infection plays in Paget's disease is unknown, because no animal model of Paget's disease is available. Therefore, we targeted a cellular MV receptor, human CD46 (hCD46), to cells in the OCL lineage in transgenic mice using the mouse tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) gene promoter. In vitro infection of OCL precursors from hCD46 transgenic mice with MV significantly increased OCL formation in bone marrow cultures. The numbers of TRAP-positive mononuclear cells and CFU-GM, the earliest identifiable OCL precursor, were also significantly increased. MV-infected OCLs formed from hCD46 marrow were increased in size, contained markedly increased numbers of nuclei, and had increased bone-resorbing capacity per OCL compared with OCLs formed from marrow of nontransgenic littermates. Furthermore, IL-6 and 24-hydroxylase messenger RNA expression levels were increased in MV-infected hCD46 transgenic mouse bone marrow cultures. Treatment of MV-infected hCD46 marrow cultures with a neutralizing antibody to IL-6 blocked the increased OCL formation seen in these cultures. These data demonstrate that MV infection of OCL precursors results in OCLs that have many features of pagetic OCLs, that the enhanced OCL formation is in part mediated by increased IL-6 expression induced by MV infection, and suggest that the hCD46 transgenic mouse may be a useful model for examining the effects of MV infection on OCL formation in vivo.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Successful detection of active osteoclasts in situ by systemic administration of an osteoclast-specific monoclonal antibody.

Cell-surface proteins preferentially expressed on osteoclasts are thought to play important roles in the functional modulation of the osteoclasts. Recently, we found a novel cell-surface antigen designated Kat1-antigen (Kat1-Ag) specifically expressed on rat osteoclasts. It would be useful to regulate the functional activity of the osteoclasts directly via an osteoclast-specific antigen expressed on the cell surface of the osteoclasts. In order to establish the basis of such an application, in the present study we established a method for the direct detection of osteoclasts in situ by a systemic administration of the anti-Kat1-Ag monoclonal antibody (mAb Kat1) to rats, and we successfully detected functional osteoclasts in situ. Prior to performing in vivo experiments, we examined the reactivity of the mAb Kat1 to the isolated rat osteoclasts. Approximately 40-80% of the osteoclasts were reactive with mAb Kat1, suggesting that this mAb recognizes osteoclasts in a specific differentiation or functional state. Calcitonin treatment of osteoclast-like cells formed in vitro from bone marrow cells resulted in a conversion of Kat1-positive osteoclast-like cells into Kat1-negative multinucleated cells, showing the positive correlation between the Kat1-Ag expression and the potential bone-resorbing activity of osteoclasts. Administration of this lineage-specific mAb to the peritoneal cavity of newborn rats resulted in a successful recruitment of mAb Kat1 to the newly formed osteoclasts and functional osteoclasts in a highly specific manner. Detailed analysis by immunoelectron microscopy revealed that this mAb specifically bound to the basolateral side of the active osteoclasts, which were identified by their typical ruffled border and clear zone, whereas the mAb did not react to postfunctional osteoclasts. These findings demonstrate a high potential utility of mAb Kat1 in osteoclast-targeted regulation of bone remodeling.

Animals↗

Osteoblasts/stromal cells stimulate osteoclast activation through expression of osteoclast differentiation factor/RANKL but not macrophage colony-stimulating factor: receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand.

We previously reported that osteoblasts/stromal cells are essentially involved in the activation as well as differentiation of osteoclasts through a mechanism involving cell-to-cell contact between osteoblasts/stromal cells and osteoclast precursors/osteoclasts. Osteoclast differentiation factor (ODF, also called RANKL/OPGL/TRANCE) and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF, also called CSF-1) are two essential factors produced by osteoblasts/stromal cells for osteoclastogenesis. In other words, osteoblasts/stromal cells were not necessary to generate osteoclasts from spleen cells in the presence of both ODF/RANKL and M-CSF. In the present study, we examined the precise roles of ODF/RANKL and M-CSF in the activation of osteoclasts induced by calvarial osteoblasts. Osteoclasts were formed in mouse bone marrow cultures on collagen gel-coated dishes in response to a soluble form of ODF/RANKL (sODF/sRANKL) and M-CSF, and recovered by collagenase digestion. When recovered osteoclasts were further cultured on plastic dishes, most of the osteoclasts spontaneously died within 24 h. Osteoclasts cultured for 24 h on dentine slices could not form resorption pits. Addition of sODF/sRANKL to the recovered osteoclasts markedly enhanced their survival and pit-forming activity. M-CSF similarly stimulated the survival of osteoclasts, but did not induce their pit-forming activity. When primary mouse osteoblasts were added to the recovered osteoclasts, resorption pits were formed on dentine slices. Bone-resorbing factors such as 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, parathyroid hormone, or prostaglandin E2 enhanced pit-forming activity of osteoclasts only in the presence of osteoblasts. M-CSF-deficient osteoblasts prepared from op/op mice similarly enhanced pit-forming activity of osteoclasts. The pit-forming activity of osteoclasts induced by sODF/sRANKL or osteoblasts was completely inhibited by simultaneous addition of osteoprotegerin/osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor, a decoy receptor of ODF/RANKL. Primary osteoblasts constitutively expressed ODF/RANKL mRNA, and its level was upregulated by treatment with 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, parathyroid hormone, and prostaglandin E2. These results, obtained by using an assay system that unequivocally assesses osteoclast activation, suggest that ODF/RANKL but not M-CSF mediates osteoblast-induced pit-forming activity of osteoclasts, and that bone-resorbing factors stimulate osteoclast activation through upregulation of ODF/RANKL by osteoblasts/stromal cells.

Animals↗

Macrophage colony stimulating factor increases bone resorption in dispersed osteoclast cultures by increasing osteoclast size.

Several reports indicate that macrophage colony stimulating factor (MCSF) is one of the major factors required for osteoclast proliferation and differentiation. Paradoxically, it has also been reported that MCSF inhibits osteoclastic activity. We therefore decided to investigate in detail the effects of MCSF on resorption and osteoclast formation to try and clarify this issue. Osteoclast-containing cultures were obtained from rabbit long bones and cultured on plastic culture dishes or devitalized bovine bone slices. MCSF (4-400 ng/ml) stimulated osteoclastic bone resorption in a time-dependent manner and at all doses examined. After 48 h of culture in the presence of MCSF, we observed a 2-fold increase in the total area of bone resorbed, as well as a significant increase in the area of bone resorbed per osteoclast and the number of resorption pits per osteoclast. This effect was paralleled by an increase in the number of larger osteoclasts (as determined by the number of nuclei per cell) and an increase in the size and depth of the resorption pits. Since the total number of osteoclasts remained the same, the MCSF-induced increase in resorptive activity appeared to be related to an increase in the average size of the osteoclasts. When resorption was expressed as the amount of bone resorbed per osteoclast nucleus, larger osteoclasts resorbed more per nucleus, suggesting that large osteoclasts, as a population, are more effective resorbers than small osteoclasts. Interestingly, when osteoclasts were plated at one-fifth the standard density, the amount of bone resorbed per osteoclast decreased considerably, indicating that resorptive activity is also affected by cell density of osteoclasts and/or of other cells present. However, at this lower density MCSF still increased osteoclast size and resorption by the same fold increase over control, suggesting that the effect of MCSF was independent of factors related to cell density.

Animals↗

Stimulatory effect of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 on mouse osteoclast formation and osteoclastic bone-resorbing activity.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 (IGFBP-5) stimulates osteoblast proliferation directly or indirectly through IGF-I action, but its effects on osteoclast formation and osteoclastic activity are unknown. We tested the effects of IGFBP-5 on osteoclastic activity and osteoclast formation. IGFBP-5 significantly stimulated pit formation by pre-existent osteoclasts in mouse bone cell cultures and its stimulatory effect was completely blocked by IGF-I antibody (Ab). However, IGFBP-5 did not affect the bone-resorbing activity of isolated rabbit osteoclasts. When IGFBP-5 was added to unfractionated bone cells after degeneration of pre-existent osteoclasts, IGFBP-5 (77 pM-7.7 nM) dose-dependently stimulated osteoclast-like cell formation, irrespective of the presence of IGF-I Ab. Moreover, osteoclast-like cells newly formed by IGFBP-5 from unfractionated bone cells possessed the ability to form pits on dentine slices. We next examined the direct effect of IGFBP-5 on osteoclast precursors in the absence of stromal cells, using hemopoietic blast cells derived from spleen cells. IGFBP-5 dose-dependently stimulated osteoclast-like cell formation from osteoclast precursors, irrespective of the presence of IGF-I Ab. Growth hormone (GH) as well as IGF-I significantly stimulated bone resorption by pre-existent osteoclasts in mouse bone cell cultures and these stimulatory effects were completely blocked by IGF-I Ab. GH as well as IGF-I stimulated osteoclast-like cell formation from unfractionated bone cells and this stimulatory effect of GH was significantly but partially blocked by IGF-I Ab. The direct stimulatory effect of GH on osteoclast-like cell formation from hemopoietic blast cells was not affected by IGF-I Ab. The present data indicate that IGFBP-5 stimulates bone resorption both by stimulation of osteoclast formation in an IGF-I-independent fashion and by IGF-I-dependent activation of mature osteoclasts, possibly via osteoblasts, in vitro.

Animals↗

(Pre-)osteoclasts induce retraction of osteoblasts before their fusion to osteoclasts.

UNLABELLED: Precursors of osteoclasts seeded on top of a confluent layer of osteoblasts/bone lining cells induced retraction of the latter cells. The (pre)osteoclasts then migrated in the formed cell-free areas and fused to form osteoclast-like cells. Retraction of the osteoblasts/bone lining cells proved to depend on activity of matrix metalloproteinases, and TGF-beta1 prevented the retraction. INTRODUCTION: It is well known that osteoblasts have a profound effect on (pre)osteoclasts in inducing the formation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Whether, on the other hand, (pre)osteoclasts also modulate osteoblast activity is largely unknown. Because osteoblasts/bone lining cells have to retract from the surface before resorption of bone by osteoclasts, we addressed the question of whether (pre)osteoclasts have the capacity to induce such an activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rabbit calvarial osteoblasts/bone lining cells or periosteal fibroblasts were cultured until confluency, after which rabbit peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were seeded on top of them. The co-cultures were maintained for up to 15 days in the presence or absence of the cytokines transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 and TNF-alpha and selective inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases and serine proteinases. The formation of cell-free areas and the number of TRACP+ multinucleated osteoclast-like cells were analyzed. In addition, formation of cell-free areas was analyzed in co-cultures of osteoblasts with mature osteoclasts. RESULTS: The seeding of PBMCs on a confluent layer of osteoblasts/bone lining cells resulted in the following sequence of events. (1) A low number of PBMCs strongly attached to osteoblasts. 2) At these sites of contact, the osteoblasts retracted, thus forming cell-free areas. (3) The PBMCs invaded these areas and attached to the surface of the well, after which they fused and formed multinucleated TRACP+ osteoclast-like cells. Retraction was only seen if the cells were in direct contact; conditioned media from cultured PBMCs added to osteoblasts had no effect. Mature osteoclasts seeded on osteoblasts similarly induced retraction, but this retraction occurred at a much faster rate (within 2 days) than the retraction effectuated by the osteoclast precursors (after 8 days in co-culture). Inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase activity, but not of serine proteinases, strongly reduced retraction of the osteoblasts, thus indicating that this type of cell movement depends on the activity of matrix metalloproteinases. A similar inhibitory effect was found with TGF-beta1. TNF-alpha had no effect on osteoblast retraction but enhanced the formation of multinucleated osteoclast-like cells. Addition of PBMCs to confluent layers of periosteal fibroblasts resulted in similar phenomena as observed in co-cultures with osteoblasts. However, the cell-free areas proved to be significantly smaller, and the number of multinucleated cells formed within cell-free areas was three to four times lower. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that osteoclast precursors and mature osteoclasts have the capacity to modulate the activity of osteoblasts and that, yet unknown, membrane-bound signaling molecules are essential in inducing retraction of osteoblasts and the subsequent formation of cell-free areas.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Functional heterogeneity of osteoclasts: matrix metalloproteinases participate in osteoclastic resorption of calvarial bone but not in resorption of long bone.

Data in the literature suggest that site-specific differences exist in the skeleton with respect to digestion of bone by osteoclasts. Therefore, we investigated whether bone resorption by calvarial osteoclasts (intramembranous bone) differs from resorption by long bone osteoclasts (endochondral bone). The involvement of two major classes of proteolytic enzymes, the cysteine proteinases (CPs) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), was studied by analyzing the effects of selective low molecular weight inhibitors of these enzymes on bone resorption. Mouse tissue explants (calvariae and long bones) as well as rabbit osteoclasts, which had been isolated from both skeletal sites and subsequently seeded on bone slices, were cultured in the presence of inhibitors and resorption was analyzed. The activity of the CP cathepsins B and K and of MMPs was determined biochemically (CPs and MMPs) and enzyme histochemically (CPs) in explants and isolated osteoclasts. We show that osteoclastic resorption of calvarial bone depends on activity of both CPs and MMPs, whereas long bone resorption depends on CPs, but not on the activity of MMPs. Furthermore, significantly higher levels of cathepsin B and cathepsin K activities were expressed by long bone osteoclasts than by calvarial osteoclasts. Resorption of slices of bovine skull or cortical bone by osteoclasts isolated from long bones was not affected by MMP inhibitors, whereas resorption by calvarial osteoclasts was inhibited. Inhibition of CP activity affected the resorption by the two populations of osteoclasts in a similar way. We conclude that this is the first report to show that significant differences exist between osteoclasts of calvariae and long bones with respect to their bone resorbing activities. Resorption by calvarial osteoclasts depends on the activity of CPs and MMPs, whereas resorption by long bone osteoclasts depends primarily on the activity of CPs. We hypothesize that functionally different subpopulations of osteoclasts, such as those described here, originate from different sets of progenitors.

Amides↗

Distributional changes of osteoclasts and pre-osteoclastic cells in periodontal tissues during experimental tooth movement as revealed by quantitative immunohistochemistry of H(+)-ATPase.

To investigate the mechanism of alveolar bone remodeling in response to orthodontic force application, we examined the distribution of osteoclasts and pre-osteoclastic cells using quantitative immunohistochemistry of vacuolar type H(+)-ATPase. For orthodontic force to be produced by the Waldo method, an orthodontic elastic band was inserted between the upper first and second molars of rats. The observed areas of periodontal tissues around second molars were the distal surfaces of mesial roots, as the pressure side, and the mesial surfaces of distal roots, as the tension side. Specific expression of vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase at the ultrastructural level was detected in mononuclear and multinucleated pre-osteoclastic cells, as well as osteoclasts with ruffled borders on bone surfaces. At 6 hrs after orthodontic force application, many osteoclasts and pre-osteoclastic cells with H(+)-ATPase expression were first observed in vascular canals of the alveolar bone crest near the pressure side of the periodontal ligament, but the number of osteoclasts was not increased in the periodontal ligament. On day 1 after tooth movement, osteoclasts were increased in number in the periodontal ligament and in adjacent alveolar bones on the pressure side, but were seldom observed in corresponding areas on the tension side. The number of osteoclasts increased until day 7, but had decreased by day 14. These results suggest that, in bone remodeling during experimental tooth movement, (1) osteoclasts and pre-osteoclastic cells can be identified by H(+)-ATPase immunohistochemistry, (2) osteoclasts and pre-osteoclastic cells are rapidly induced after force application, (3) osteoclast induction first occurs in vascular canals of the alveolar bone crest on the pressure side, and then, (4) the number of osteoclasts increases in the periodontal ligament on the pressure side.

Alveolar Bone Loss↗

Development of a monoclonal antibody to osteoclasts formed in vitro which recognizes mononuclear osteoclast precursors in the marrow.

Osteoclast precursors have not been well characterized because there are no known markers that can detect them. We have used osteoclast-like cells formed in vitro to develop a panel of specific antibodies that react with mature osteoclasts, osteoclast precursors, and other cells in the osteoclast lineage. Monoclonal antibody Kn22 reacted strongly with osteoclast-like multinucleated cells formed in long term marrow cultures and reacted very strongly with freshly isolated bone-derived baboon osteoclasts. Using immune cell panning, Kn22 enriched precursors for osteoclasts. The majority of multinucleated cells (71%) formed from fresh marrow mononuclear cells adherent to Kn22 strongly reacted with a monoclonal antibody that recognizes mature osteoclasts (23c6) and responded appropriately to calcitonin. In contrast, only 23% of multinucleated cells formed from marrow mononuclear cells that were not bound by Kn22 formed osteoclast-like cells. The majority (77%) of these multinucleated cells did not strongly react with the osteoclast-specific monoclonal antibody 23c6 or respond to calcitonin. Thus, we have developed a panel of monoclonal antibodies that recognize cells in the osteoclast lineage. One of these antibodies, Kn22, is unique in that it identifies an osteoclast precursor. The 50K antigen detected by Kn22 appears to be a membrane protein present on osteoclast precursors and osteoclasts that has not been previously identified.

Animals↗

Peptidomimetic antagonists of alphavbeta3 inhibit bone resorption by inhibiting osteoclast bone resorptive activity, not osteoclast adhesion to bone.

Osteoclasts are actively motile on bone surfaces and undergo alternating cycles of migration and resorption. Osteoclast interaction with the extracellular matrix plays a key role in the osteoclast resorptive process and a substantial body of evidence suggests that integrin receptors are important in osteoclast function. These integrin receptors bind to the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence found in a variety of extracellular matrix proteins and it is well established that the interaction of osteoclast alpha v beta 3 integrin with the RGD motif within bone matrix proteins is important in osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. In this study, we characterized the effects of two synthetic peptidomimetic antagonists of alpha v beta 3, SC-56631 and SC-65811, on rabbit osteoclast adhesion to purified matrix proteins and bone, and on bone resorption in vitro. SC-56631 and SC-65811 are potent inhibitors of vitronectin binding to purified alpha v beta 3. Both SC-56631 and SC-65811 inhibited osteoclast adhesion to osteopontin- and vitronectin-coated surfaces and time-lapse video microscopy showed that osteoclasts rapidly retract from osteopontin-coated surfaces when exposed to SC-56631 and SC-65811. SC-56631 and SC-65811 blocked osteoclast-mediated bone resorption in a dose-responsive manner. Further analysis showed that SC-65811 and SC-56631 reduced the number of resorption pits produced per osteoclast and the average pit size. SC-65811 was a more potent inhibitor of bone resorption and the combination of reduced pit number and size led to a 90% inhibition of bone resorption. Surprisingly, however, osteoclasts treated with SC-65811, SC-56631 or the disintegrin echistatin, at concentrations that inhibit bone resorption did not inhibit osteoclast adhesion to bone. These results suggest that alphavbeta3 antagonists inhibited bone resorption by decreasing osteoclast bone resorptive activity or efficiency but not by inhibiting osteoclast adhesion to bone per se.

Aniline Compounds↗

Interleukin-1 alpha stimulates osteoclast formation from peripheral blood monocytes and increases osteoclastic activity.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is produced by monocytes and marrow stromal cells and can stimulate bone resorption in tissue culture. In addition, IL-1 can induce osteoclast-like cell formation in long-term bone marrow culture. However, whether IL-1 can increase osteoclast formation by stimulating fusion of peripheral blood monocytes is not clear. In addition, the precise effect of IL-1 on osteoclastic activity is still not well known. METHODS: Using the bioassay of osteoclast formation, osteoclast-free fetal calvariae were harvested from 14-day timed-pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats and cultured in BGJb medium for 10 days. On the 10th day, mononuclear cells were obtained from peripheral blood of 8-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats through cardiac puncture and Ficoll-Paque density gradient separation method and co-cultured with osteoclast-free developing bone explant. On the same day, various concentrations of IL-1 alpha (1,10 or 100 U/ml) were added daily in the experimental dishes while only BGJb medium was added in the controls. In addition, 45Ca release assay and quantitation of nuclei per osteoclast were performed to evaluate the effect of IL-1 alpha on osteoclastic activity. RESULTS: Ten days after adding monocytes, there were 14.25 osteoclasts in the control, without IL-1 alpha; with 1 U of IL-1 alpha, there were 14.75 osteoclasts; with 10 U of IL-1 alpha, there were 18.00 osteoclasts; with 100 U of IL-1 alpha, there were 20.75 osteoclasts. In addition, IL-1 alpha stimulated the release of 45Ca and increased the number of average nuclei per osteoclast dose-dependently, indicating a significant increase in bone resorption. CONCLUSIONS: IL-1 alpha could increase osteoclast formation by stimulating the fusion of peripheral blood monocytes. In addition, IL-1 alpha is a potent stimulator of osteoclastic activity.

Animals↗

Effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH)-related protein and PTH on osteoclasts and osteoclast precursors in vivo.

Increased production of PTH-related protein (PTHrP) and PTH is frequently responsible for hypercalcemia and its associated morbidity. However, it is unclear whether these peptides produce identical effects on cells in the osteoclast lineage in vivo. To examine the effects of continuous in vivo exposure to these factors on both the osteoclast precursors and mature osteoclasts, we inoculated Chinese hamster ovarian cells expressing PTH-(1-84), PTHrP-(1-141), or nontransfected Chinese hamster ovarian cells into nude mice. The effects of these tumors on blood ionized calcium, plasma PTH and PTHrP concentrations, and osteoclast formation were then determined. PTH and PTHrP tumor-bearing mice became hypercalcemic (1.90 +/- 0.04 and 1.97 +/- 0.16 mmol/liter, respectively) compared with control mice (1.29 +/- 0.015 mmol/liter). After 4 days of hypercalcemia, mice were killed, and bone marrow cells were harvested to examine cells at three discrete stages of osteoclast development: multipotent osteoclast precursors, the granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming unit; more committed marrow mononuclear osteoclast precursors; and mature osteoclasts. Neither PTH nor PTHrP had an effect on granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming unit, but similarly increased the number of more committed mononuclear osteoclast progenitors as well as mature osteoclasts in the calvaria. No differences were detected between the effects of PTH and PTHrP on cells in the osteoclast lineage in vivo. Thus, PTH and PTHrP appear to affect only more differentiated cells in the osteoclast lineage, and the differences in osteoclastic bone resorption between primary hyperparathyroidism and humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy are probably due to mechanisms other than effects on osteoclast precursor cells in vivo.

Animals↗

Inhibition of avian osteoclast bone resorption by monoclonal antibody 121F: a mechanism involving the osteoclast free radical system.

Osteoclasts generate high levels of superoxide anions during bone resorption that contribute to the degradative process, although excessive levels of this free radical may be damaging. One mechanism for their removal is via superoxide dismutase (SOD), a protective superoxide scavenging enzyme. We have previously described a novel developmentally regulated 150 kDa plasma membrane glycoprotein of avian osteoclasts which is reactive with the osteoclast-specific monoclonal antibody (Mab) 121F and is related immunologically, biochemically, and in protein sequence to mitochondrial Mn2+/Fe2+ SOD. We hypothesized that this unusual osteoclast surface component may be involved in protection against superoxides generated during active bone resorption. Increasing concentrations of monovalent Fab fragments prepared from Mab 121F, but not those from another antiosteoclast Mab designated 29C, markedly inhibited both bone particle and bone pit resorption by avian osteoclasts, while reducing tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity and causing the morphological contraction of osteoclasts on bone. Thus, the SOD-related membrane antigen may be essential for osteoclast bone resorption. Osteoclast superoxide production, monitored kinetically by cytochrome c reduction and histochemically by nitroblue tetrazolium reduction staining, was significantly greater in the presence of 121F, but not 29C, Fab treatment. Furthermore, the release of another free radical known as nitric oxide, which is produced by osteoclasts, can scavenge superoxides, and acts to potently inhibit osteoclast bone resorption, was dose-dependently increased by 121F Fab in resorbing osteoclast cultures. Therefore, Mab 121F binding may block the potential protective function of the osteoclast plasma membrane SOD-related glycoprotein, leading to a rapid elevation of superoxide levels and a subsequent rise in osteoclast nitric oxide release, feedback messages which may be sensed by the osteoclast as signals to cease active bone resorption.

Acid Phosphatase↗