Toshihide Mizoguchi

Wnt5a-Ror2 signaling between osteoblast-lineage cells and osteoclast precursors enhances osteoclastogenesis

The signaling molecule Wnt regulates bone homeostasis through β-catenin–dependent canonical and β-catenin–independent noncanonical pathways. Impairment of canonical Wnt signaling causes bone loss in arthritis and osteoporosis; however, it is unclear how noncanonical Wnt signaling regulates bone resorption. Wnt5a activates noncanonical Wnt signaling through receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor (Ror) proteins. We showed that Wnt5a-Ror2 signaling between osteoblast-lineage cells and osteoclast precursors enhanced osteoclastogenesis. Osteoblast-lineage cells expressed Wnt5a, whereas osteoclast precursors expressed Ror2. Mice deficient in either Wnt5a or Ror2, and those with either osteoclast precursor-specific Ror2 deficiency or osteoblast-lineage cell-specific Wnt5a deficiency showed impaired osteoclastogenesis. Wnt5a-Ror2 signals enhanced receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) expression in osteoclast precursors by activating JNK and recruiting c-Jun on the promoter of the gene encoding RANK, thereby enhancing RANK ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis. A soluble form of Ror2 acted as a decoy receptor of Wnt5a and abrogated bone destruction in mouse arthritis models. Our results suggest that the Wnt5a-Ror2 pathway is crucial for osteoclastogenesis in physiological and pathological environments and represents a therapeutic target for bone diseases, including arthritis.

Secretion of L-glutamate from osteoclasts through transcytosis

Osteoclasts are involved in the catabolism of the bone matrix and eliminate the resulting degradation products through transcytosis, but the molecular mechanism and regulation of transcytosis remain poorly understood. Upon differentiation, osteoclasts express vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1), which is essential for vesicular storage and subsequent exocytosis of glutamate in neurons. VGLUT1 is localized in transcytotic vesicles and accumulates L‐glutamate. Osteoclasts secrete L‐glutamate and the bone degradation products upon stimulation with KCl or ATP in a Ca2+‐dependent manner. KCl‐ and ATP‐dependent secretion of L‐glutamate was absent in osteoclasts prepared from VGLUT1−/− knockout mice. Osteoclasts express mGluR8, a class III metabotropic glutamate receptor. Its stimulation by a specific agonist inhibits secretion of L‐glutamate and bone degradation products, whereas its suppression by a specific antagonist stimulates bone resorption. Finally, it was found that VGLUT1−/− mice develop osteoporosis. Thus, in bone‐resorbing osteoclasts, L‐glutamate and bone degradation products are secreted through transcytosis and the released L‐glutamate is involved in autoregulation of transcytosis. Glutamate signaling may play an important role in the bone homeostasis.

Lineage‐committed osteoclast precursors circulate in blood and settle down into bone

Osteoclasts are derived from the monocyte/macrophage lineage, but little is known about osteoclast precursors in circulation. We previously showed that cell cycle–arrested quiescent osteoclast precursors (QOPs) were detected along bone surfaces as direct osteoclast precursors. Here we show that receptor activator of NF‐κB (RANK)‐positive cells isolated from bone marrow and peripheral blood possess characteristics of QOPs in mice. RANK‐positive cells expressed c‐Fms (receptors of macrophage colony‐stimulating factor) at various levels, but scarcely expressed other monocyte/granulocyte markers. RANK‐positive cells failed to exert phagocytic and proliferating activities, and differentiated into osteoclasts but not into dendritic cells. To identify circulating QOPs, collagen disks containing bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP disks) were implanted into mice, which were administered bromodeoxyuridine daily. Most nuclei of osteoclasts detected in BMP‐2–induced ectopic bone were bromodeoxyuridine‐negative. RANK‐positive cells in peripheral blood proliferated more slowly and had a much longer lifespan than F4/80 (a macrophage marker)‐positive macrophages. When BMP disks and control disks were implanted in RANK ligand‐deficient mice, RANK‐positive cells were observed in the BMP disks but not in the controls. F4/80‐positive cells were distributed in both disks. Administration of FYT720, a sphingosine 1‐phosphate agonist, promoted the egress of RANK‐positive cells from hematopoietic tissues into bloodstream. These results suggest that lineage‐determined QOPs circulate in the blood and settle in the bone.

Daily administration of eldecalcitol (ED-71), an active vitamin D analog, increases bone mineral density by suppressing RANKL expression in mouse trabecular bone.

Eldecalcitol (ED‐71) is a new vitamin D3 derivative recently approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in Japan. Previous studies have shown that the daily administration of ED‐71 increases bone mineral density (BMD) by suppressing bone resorption in various animal models. In this study, we examined how ED‐71 suppresses bone resorption in vivo, by analyzing bone histomorphometry and ex vivo osteoclastogenesis assays. Daily administration of ED‐71 (50 ng/kg body weight) to 8‐week‐old male mice for 2 and 4 weeks increased BMD in the femoral metaphysis without causing hypercalcemia. Bone and serum analyses revealed that ED‐71 inhibited bone resorption and formation, indicating that the increase in BMD is the result of the suppression of bone resorption. This suppression was associated with a decrease in the number of osteoclasts in trabecular bone. We previously identified cell cycle‐arrested receptor activator of NF‐κB (RANK)‐positive bone marrow cells as quiescent osteoclast precursors (QOPs) in vivo. Daily administration of ED‐71 affected neither the number of RANK‐positive cells in vivo nor the number of osteoclasts formed from QOPs in ex vivo cultures. In contrast, ED‐71 suppressed the expression of RANK ligand (RANKL) mRNA in femurs. Immunohistochemical experiments also showed that the perimeter of the RANKL‐positive cell surface around the trabecular bone was significantly reduced in ED‐71‐treated mice than in the control mice. ED‐71 administration also increased BMD in 12‐week‐old ovariectomized mice, through the suppression of RANKL expression in the trabecular bone. These results suggest that the daily administration of ED‐71 increases BMD by suppressing RANKL expression in trabecular bone in vivo.

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Specifically Inhibit Osteoclast Differentiation and Function

Since attention has been paid to the use of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as biomaterials in contact with bone, it is critical to understand the reaction of bone cells to MWCNTs. We show that MWCNTs inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption in vivo and that MWCNTs inhibit osteoclastic differentiation and suppressed a transcription factor essential for osteoclastogenesis in vitro. These results suggest that MWCNTs have beneficial effects on bones when they are used as biomaterials.

Spleen serves as a reservoir of osteoclast precursors through vitamin D-induced IL-34 expression in osteopetrotic op/op mice.

Osteoclasts are generated from monocyte/macrophage-lineage precursors in response to colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL). CSF-1–mutated CSF-1op/op mice as well as RANKL−/− mice exhibit osteopetrosis (OP) caused by osteoclast deficiency. We previously identified RANKL receptor (RANK)/CSF-1 receptor (CSF-1R) double-positive cells as osteoclast precursors (OCPs), which existed in bone in RANKL−/− mice. Here we show that OCPs do not exist in bone but in spleen in CSF-1op/op mice, and spleen acts as their reservoir. IL-34, a newly discovered CSF-1R ligand, was highly expressed in vascular endothelial cells in spleen in CSF-1op/op mice. Vascular endothelial cells in bone also expressed IL-34, but its expression level was much lower than in spleen, suggesting a role of IL-34 in the splenic generation of OCPs. Splenectomy (SPX) blocked CSF-1–induced osteoclastogenesis in CSF-1op/op mice. Osteoclasts appeared in aged CSF-1op/op mice with up-regulation of IL-34 expression in spleen and bone. Splenectomy blocked the age-associated appearance of osteoclasts. The injection of 2-methylene-19-nor-(20S)-1α,25(OH)2D3 (2MD), a potent analog of 1α,25-dihidroxyvitamin D3, into CSF-1op/op mice induced both hypercalcemia and osteoclastogenesis. Administration of 2MD enhanced IL-34 expression not only in spleen but also in bone through a vitamin D receptor-mediated mechanism. Either splenectomy or siRNA-mediated knockdown of IL-34 suppressed 2MD-induced osteoclastogenesis. These results suggest that IL-34 plays a pivotal role in maintaining the splenic reservoir of OCPs, which are transferred to bone in response to diverse stimuli, in CSF-1op/op mice. The present study also suggests that the IL-34 gene in vascular endothelial cells is a unique target of vitamin D.

Fos plays an essential role in the upregulation of RANK expression in osteoclast precursors within the bone microenvironment

Summary Fos plays essential roles in the osteoclastic differentiation of precursor cells generated by colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) and receptor activator of NF-&kgr;B ligand (RANKL; also known as tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 11, Tnsf11). RANKL-deficient (RANKL−/−) mice and Fos−/− mice exhibit osteopetrosis due to an osteoclast deficiency. We previously reported that RANK-positive osteoclast precursors are present in bone of RANKL−/− mice but not Fos−/− mice. Here we report the role of Fos in RANK expression in osteoclast precursors. Medullary thymic epithelial cells and intestinal antigen-sampling microfold cells have been shown to express RANK. High expression of RANK was observed in some epithelial cells in the thymic medulla and intestine but not in osteoclast precursors in Fos−/− mice. RANK mRNA and protein levels in bone were lower in Fos−/− mice than RANKL−/− mice, suggesting that Fos-regulated RANK expression is tissue specific. When wild-type bone marrow cells were inoculated into Fos−/− mice, RANK-positive cells appeared along bones. RANK expression in wild-type macrophages was upregulated by coculturing with RANKL−/− osteoblasts as well as wild-type osteoblasts, suggesting that cytokines other than RANKL expressed by osteoblasts upregulate RANK expression in osteoclast precursors. CSF-1 receptor-positive cells were detected near CSF-1-expressing osteoblastic cells in bone in Fos−/− mice. CSF-1 upregulated RANK expression in wild-type macrophages but not Fos−/− macrophages. Overexpression of Fos in Fos−/− macrophages resulted in the upregulation of RANK expression. Overexpression of RANK in Fos−/− macrophages caused RANKL-induced signals, but failed to recover the RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis. These results suggest that Fos plays essential roles in the upregulation of RANK expression in osteoclast precursors within the bone environment.

Osteoprotegerin Reduces the Serum Level of Receptor Activator of NF-κB Ligand Derived from Osteoblasts

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a decoy receptor for receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). We previously reported that OPG deficiency elevated the circulating level of RANKL in mice. Using OPG−/− mice, we investigated whether OPG is involved in the shedding of RANKL by cells expressing RANKL. Osteoblasts and activated T cells in culture released a large amount of RANKL in the absence of OPG. OPG or a soluble form of receptor activator of NF-κB (the receptor of RANKL) suppressed the release of RANKL from those cells. OPG- and T cell-double-deficient mice showed an elevated serum RANKL level equivalent to that of OPG−/− mice, indicating that circulating RANKL is mainly derived from bone. The serum level of RANKL in OPG−/− mice was increased by ovariectomy or administration of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Expression of RANKL mRNA in bone, but not thymus or spleen, was increased in wild-type and OPG−/− mice by 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. These results suggest that OPG suppresses the shedding of RANKL from osteoblasts and that the serum RANKL in OPG−/− mice exactly reflects the state of bone resorption.

Prostaglandin E2 receptors EP2 and EP4 are down-regulated during differentiation of mouse osteoclasts from their precursors.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) has been proposed to be a potent stimulator of bone resorption. However, PGE2 itself has been shown to directly inhibit bone-resorbing activity of osteoclasts. We examined the role of PGE2 in the function of mouse osteoclasts formed in vitro. Bone marrow macrophage osteoclast precursors expressed PGE2 receptors EP1, EP2, EP3β, and EP4, and the expression of EP2 and EP4 was down-regulated during osteoclastic differentiation induced by receptor activator of NF-κB ligand and macrophage colony-stimulating factor. In contrast, functional EP1 was continuously expressed in mature osteoclasts. PGE2 as well as calcitonin caused intracellular Ca2+ influx in osteoclasts. However, PGE2 and 17-phenyltrinol-PGE2 (an EP1 agonist) failed to inhibit actin-ring formation and pit formation by osteoclasts cultured on dentine slices. When EP4 was expressed in osteoclasts using an adenovirus carrying EP4 cDNA, both actin-ring and pit-forming activities of osteoclasts were inhibited in an infectious unit-dependent manner. Treatment of EP4-expressing osteoclasts with PGE2 further inhibited their actin-ring and pit-forming activities. Such inhibitory effects of EP4-mediated signals on osteoclast function are similar to those that are calcitonin receptor-mediated. Thus, osteoclast precursors down-regulate their own EP2 and EP4 levels during their differentiation into osteoclasts to escape inhibitory effects of PGE2 on bone resorption.

Carbon Nanotubes Induce Bone Calcification by Bidirectional Interaction with Osteoblasts

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) promote calcification during hydroxyapatite (HA) formation by osteoblasts. Primary cultured osteoblasts are incubated with MWCNTs or carbon black. After culture for 3 weeks, the degree of calcification is very high in the 50 μg mL(-1) MWCNT group. Transmission electron microscopy shows needle-like crystals around the MWCNTs, and diffraction patterns reveal that the peak of the crystals almost coincides with the known peak of HA.