Microfibril-associated Glycoprotein-1, an Extracellular Matrix Regulator of Bone Remodeling

Authors

Clarissa S. Craft, Wei Zou, Marcus Watkins, Susan Grimston, Michael D. Brodt, Thomas J. Broekelmann, Justin S. Weinbaum, Steven L. Teitelbaum, Richard A. Pierce, Roberto Civitelli, Matthew J. Silva and Robert P. Mecham

Abstract

MAGP1 is an extracellular matrix protein that, in vertebrates, is a ubiquitous component of fibrillin-rich microfibrils. We previously reported that aged MAGP1-deficient mice (MAGP1Δ) develop lesions that are the consequence of spontaneous bone fracture. We now present a more defined bone phenotype found in MAGP1Δ mice. A longitudinal DEXA study demonstrated age-associated osteopenia in MAGP1Δ animals and μCT confirmed reduced bone mineral density in the trabecular and cortical bone. Further, MAGP1Δ mice have significantly less trabecular bone, the trabecular microarchitecture is more fragmented, and the diaphyseal cross-sectional area is significantly reduced. The remodeling defect seen in MAGP1Δ mice is likely not due to an osteoblast defect, because MAGP1Δ bone marrow stromal cells undergo osteoblastogenesis and form mineralized nodules. In vivo, MAGP1Δ mice exhibit normal osteoblast number, mineralized bone surface, and bone formation rate. Instead, our findings suggest increased bone resorption is responsible for the osteopenia. The number of osteoclasts derived from MAGP1Δ bone marrow macrophage cells is increased relative to the wild type, and osteoclast differentiation markers are expressed at earlier time points in MAGP1Δ cells. In vivo, MAGP1Δ mice have more osteoclasts lining the bone surface. RANKL (receptor activator of NF-κB ligand) expression is significantly higher in MAGP1Δ bone, and likely contributes to enhanced osteoclastogenesis. However, bone marrow macrophage cells from MAGP1Δ mice show a higher propensity than do wild-type cells to differentiate to osteoclasts in response to RANKL, suggesting that they are also primed to respond to osteoclast-promoting signals. Together, our findings suggest that MAGP1 is a regulator of bone remodeling, and its absence results in osteopenia associated with an increase in osteoclast number.

Link to Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M110.113019

Adenosine A1 receptors regulate bone resorption in mice...

Title

Adenosine A1 receptors regulate bone resorption in mice: Adenosine A1 receptor blockade or deletion increases bone density and prevents ovariectomy-induced bone loss in adenosine A1 receptor–knockout mice

Authors

Firas M. Kara, Stephen B. Doty, Adele Boskey, Steven Goldring, Mone Zaidi, Bertil B. Fredholm, Bruce N. Cronstein

Abstract

Accelerated osteoclastic bone resorption plays a central role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Because identifying the molecular pathways that regulate osteoclast activity provides a key to understanding the causes of these diseases and developing new treatments, we studied the effect of adenosine A1 receptor blockade or deletion on bone density. The bone mineral density (BMD) in adenosine A1 receptor–knockout (A1R-knockout) mice was analyzed by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning, and the trabecular and cortical bone volume was determined by microfocal computed tomography (micro-CT). The mice were ovariectomized or sham-operated, and 5 weeks after surgery, when osteopenia had developed, several parameters were analyzed by DXA scanning and micro-CT. A histologic examination of bones obtained from A1R-knockout and wild-type mice was carried out. Visualization of osteoblast function (bone formation) after tetracycline double-labeling was performed by fluorescence microscopy. Micro-CT analysis of bones from A1R-knockout mice showed significantly increased bone volume. Electron microscopy of bones from A1R-knockout mice showed the absence of ruffled borders of osteoclasts and osteoclast bone resorption. Immunohistologic analysis demonstrated that although osteoclasts were present in the A1R-knockout mice, they were smaller and often not associated with bone. No morphologic changes in osteoblasts were observed, and bone-labeling studies revealed no change in the bone formation rates in A1R-knockout mice. These results suggest that the adenosine A1 receptor may be a useful target in treating diseases characterized by excessive bone turnover, such as osteoporosis and prosthetic joint loosening.

Link to Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/art.27219

Bone loss caused by iron overload in a murine model: importance of oxidative stress

Authors

Jaime Tsay, Zheiwei Yang, F. Patrick Ross, Susanna Cunningham-Rundles, Hong Lin, Rhima Coleman, Philipp Mayer-Kuckuk, Stephen B. Doty, Robert W. Grady, Patricia J. Giardina, Adele L. Boskey, and Maria G. Vogiatzi

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a frequent problem in disorders characterized by iron overload, such as the thalassemias and hereditary hemochromatosis. The exact role of iron in the development of osteoporosis in these disorders is not established. To define the effect of iron excess in bone, we generated an iron-overloaded mouse by injecting iron dextran at 2 doses into C57/BL6 mice for 2 months. Compared with the placebo group, iron-overloaded mice exhibited dose-dependent increased tissue iron content, changes in bone composition, and trabecular and cortical thinning of bone accompanied by increased bone resorption. Iron-overloaded mice had increased reactive oxygen species and elevated serum tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 concentrations that correlated with severity of iron overload. Treatment of iron-overloaded mice with the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine prevented the development of trabecular but not cortical bone abnormalities. This is the first study to demonstrate that iron overload in mice results in increased bone resorption and oxidative stress, leading to changes in bone microarchitecture and material properties and thus bone loss.

Link to Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2009-12-260083

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Epsilon Affects Body Weight by Downregulating Leptin Signaling in a Phosphorylation-Dependent Manner

Authors

Liat Rousso-Noori, Hilla Knobler, Einat Levy-Apter, Yael Kuperman, Adi Neufeld-Cohen, Yonat Keshet, Vasudheva R. Akepati, Richard A. Klinghoffer, Alon Chen, Ari Elson

Abstract

Molecular-level understanding of body weight control is essential for combating obesity. We show that female mice lacking tyrosine phosphatase epsilon (RPTPe) are protected from weight gain induced by high-fat food, ovariectomy, or old age and exhibit increased whole-body energy expenditure and decreased adiposity. RPTPe-deficient mice, in particular males, exhibit improved glucose homeostasis. Female nonobese RPTPe-deficient mice are leptin hypersensitive and exhibit reduced circulating leptin concentrations, suggesting that RPTPe inhibits hypothalamic leptin signaling in vivo. Leptin hypersensitivity persists in aged, ovariectomized, and high-fat-fed RPTPe-deficient mice, indicating that RPTPe helps establish obesity-associated leptin resistance. RPTPe associates with and dephosphorylates JAK2, thereby downregulating leptin receptor signaling. Leptin stimulation induces phosphorylation of hypothalamic RPTPe at its C-terminal Y695, which drives RPTPe to downregulate JAK2. RPTPe is therefore an inhibitor of hypothalamic leptin signaling in vivo, and provides controlled negative-feedback regulation of this pathway following its activation.

Link to Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2011.02.017

Inhibition of Prostate Cancer Osteoblastic Progression with VEGF121/rGel, a Single Agent Targeting Osteoblasts, Osteoclasts, and Tumor Neovasculature

Authors

Khalid A. Mohamedali, Zhi Gang Li, Michael W. Starbuck, Xinhai Wan, Jun Yang, Sehoon Kim, Wendy Zhang, Michael G. Rosenblum, and Nora M. Navone

Abstract

A hallmark of prostate cancer (PCa) progression is the development of osteoblastic bone metastases, which respond poorly to available therapies. We previously reported that VEGF121/rGel targets osteoclast precursors and tumor neovasculature. Here we tested the hypothesis that targeting nontumor cells expressing these receptors can inhibit tumor progression in a clinically relevant model of osteoblastic PCa. Experimental Design: Cells from MDA PCa 118b, a PCa xenograft obtained from a bone metastasis in a patient with castrate-resistant PCa, were injected into the femurs of mice. Osteoblastic progression was monitored following systemic administration of VEGF121/rGel. VEGF121/rGel was cytotoxic in vitro to osteoblast precursor cells. This cytotoxicity was specific as VEGF121/rGel internalization into osteoblasts was VEGF121 receptor driven. Furthermore, VEGF121/rGel significantly inhibited PCa-induced bone formation in a mouse calvaria culture assay. In vivo, VEGF121/rGel significantly inhibited the osteoblastic progression of PCa cells in the femurs of nude mice. Microcomputed tomographic analysis revealed that VEGF121/rGel restored the bone volume fraction of tumor-bearing femurs to values similar to those of the contralateral (non–tumor-bearing) femurs. VEGF121/rGel significantly reduced the number of tumor-associated osteoclasts but did not change the numbers of peritumoral osteoblasts. Importantly, VEGF121/rGel-treated mice had significantly less tumor burden than control mice. Our results thus indicate that VEGF121/rGel inhibits osteoblastic tumor progression by targeting angiogenesis, osteoclastogenesis, and bone formation. Targeting VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-1- or VEGFR-2–expressing cells is effective in controlling the osteoblastic progression of PCa in bone. These findings provide the basis for an effective multitargeted approach for metastatic PCa.

Link to Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-10-2943

Modification of osteoarthritis in the guinea pig with pulsed low-intensity ultrasound treatment

Authors

I. Gurkan, A. Ranganathan, X. Yang, W.E. Horton Jr., M. Todman, J. Huckle, N. Pleshko, R.G. Spencer

Abstract

The Hartley guinea pig develops articular cartilage degeneration similar to that seen in idiopathic human osteoarthritis (OA). We investigated whether the application of pulsed low-intensity ultrasound (PLIUS) to the Hartley guinea pig joint would prevent or attenuate the progression of this degenerative process. Treatment of male Hartley guinea pigs was initiated at the onset of degeneration (8 weeks of age) to assess the ability of PLIUS to prevent OA, or at a later age (12 months) to assess the degree to which PLIUS acted to attenuate the progression of established disease. PLIUS (30mW/cm2) was applied to stifle joints for 20min/day over periods ranging from 3 to 10 months, with contralateral limbs serving as controls. Joint cartilage histology was graded according to a modified Mankin scale to evaluate treatment effect. Immunohistochemical staining for interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, MMP-13, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 was performed on the cartilage to evaluate patterns of expression of these proteins. PLIUS did not fully prevent cartilage degeneration in the prevention groups, but diminished the severity of the disease, with the treated joints showing markedly decreased surface irregularities and a much smaller degree of loss of matrix staining as compared to controls. PLIUS also attenuated disease progression in the groups with established disease, although to a somewhat lesser extent as compared to the prevention groups. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated a markedly decreased degree of TGF-β1 production in the PLIUS-treated joints. This indicates less active endogenous repair, consistent with the marked reduction in cartilage degradation. PLIUS exhibits the ability to attenuate the progression of cartilage degeneration in an animal model of idiopathic human OA. The effect was greater in the treatment of early, rather than established, degeneration.

Link to Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2010.01.006