Developmental profiles of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated CREBs in murine calvarial MC3T3-E1 cells

Candidate gene analysis of femoral neck trabecular and cortical volumetric bone mineral density in older men

In contrast to conventional dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, quantitative computed tomography separately measures trabecular and cortical volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD). Little is known about the genetic variants associated with trabecular and cortical vBMD in humans, although both may be important for determining bone strength and osteoporotic risk. In the current analysis, we tested the hypothesis that there are genetic variants associated with trabecular and cortical vBMD at the femoral neck by genotyping 4608 tagging and potentially functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 383 bone metabolism candidate genes in 822 Caucasian men aged 65 years or older from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS). Promising SNP associations then were tested for replication in an additional 1155 men from the same study. We identified SNPs in five genes (IFNAR2, NFATC1, SMAD1, HOXA, and KLF10) that were robustly associated with cortical vBMD and SNPs in nine genes (APC, ATF2, BMP3, BMP7, FGF18, FLT1, TGFB3, THRB, and RUNX1) that were robustly associated with trabecular vBMD. There was no overlap between genes associated with cortical vBMD and trabecular vBMD. These findings identify novel genetic variants for cortical and trabecular vBMD and raise the possibility that some genetic loci may be unique for each bone compartment.

Effects of phosphodiesterase 7 inhibition by RNA interference on the gene expression and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cell-derived osteoblasts

The second messenger molecule cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) plays an important role in the hormonal regulation of bone metabolism. cAMP is inactivated by the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs), a superfamily of enzymes divided into 11 known families designated PDE 1-11. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PDE7 and PDE8 inhibition on the gene expression and differentiation of human osteoblasts. Osteoblasts differentiated from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) were cultured and treated with short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) generated from PDE7 and PDE8 PCR products. Total RNA was isolated from the cells, and gene expression was assayed with cDNA microarray and quantitative real-time PCR. bALP measurements were assayed during differentiation, and mineralization was determined by quantitative Alizarin red S staining. PDE7 and PDE8 inhibition by RNA interference decreased the gene expression of PDE7A by 60-70%, PDE7B by 40-50%, and PDE8A by 30%. PDE7 silencing increased the expression of beta-catenin, osteocalcin, caspase-8, and cAMP-responsive element-binding protein 5 (CREB-5) genes and decreased the expression of the 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor gene. PDE8A silencing increased the expression of anti-apoptotic genes, but decreased the expression of osteoglycin (osteoinductive factor) and bone morphogenetic protein 1 (BMP-1). PDE7 silencing increased bALP and mineralization up to three-fold compared to controls. Treatment with the PDE7-selective PDE inhibitor BRL-50481 had similar effects on mineralization as the gene silencing. The PDE7 silencing also increased forskolin stimulated cAMP response, but had no effect on the proliferation rate. Furthermore, osteocalcin expression was increased by PDE7 silencing by a mechanism dependent on protein kinase A. Our results show that specific gene silencing with the RNAi method is a useful tool for inhibiting the gene expression of specific PDEs and that PDE7 silencing upregulates several osteogenic genes and increases mineralization. PDE7 may play an important role in the regulation of osteoblastic differentiation.

CREB-AP1 protein complexes regulate transcription of the collagen XXIV gene (Col24a1) in osteoblasts

Collagen XXIV is a newly discovered and poorly characterized member of the fibril-forming family of collagen molecules, which displays unique structural features of invertebrate fibrillar collagens and is expressed predominantly in bone tissue. Here we report the characterization of the proximal promoter of the mouse gene (Col24a1) and its regulation in osteoblastic cells. Using well characterized murine models of osteoblast differentiation, we found that the Col24a1 gene is activated sometime before onset of the late differentiation marker osteocalcin. Additional analyses revealed that Col24a1 produces equal amounts of two alternatively spliced products with different 5'-untranslated sequences that originate from distinct transcriptional start sites. Cell transfection experiments in combination with DNA binding assays demonstrated that Col24a1 promoter activity in ROS17/2.8 osteosarcoma cells is under the control of an upstream cis-acting element, which is shared by both transcripts and is recognized by specific combinations of c-Jun, CREB1, ATF1, and ATF2 dimers. Consistent with these results, overexpression of c-Jun, ATF1, ATF2, or CREB1 in transiently transfected osteoblastic cells stimulated transcription from reporter gene constructs driven by the Col24a1 promoter to different degrees. Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that these nuclear factors bind the same upstream sequence of the endogenous Col24a1 gene. Collectively these data provide new information about transcriptional control of collagen fibrillogenesis, in addition to implicating for the first time CREB-AP1 protein complexes in the regulation of collagen gene expression in osteoblasts.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha promotes in vitro calcification of vascular cells via the cAMP pathway

BACKGROUND

Vascular calcification is an ectopic calcification that commonly occurs in atherosclerosis. Because tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a pleiotropic cytokine found in atherosclerotic lesions, is also a regulator of bone formation, we investigated the role of TNF-alpha in in vitro vascular calcification.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A cloned subpopulation of bovine aortic smooth muscle cells previously shown capable of osteoblastic differentiation was treated with TNF-alpha, and osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization were assessed. Treatment of vascular cells with TNF-alpha for 3 days induced an osteoblast-like morphology. It also enhanced both activity and mRNA expression of alkaline phosphatase, an early marker of osteoblastic differentiation. Continuous treatment with TNF-alpha for 10 days enhanced matrix mineralization as measured by radiolabeled calcium incorporation in the matrix. Pretreatment of cells with a protein kinase A-specific inhibitor, KT5720, attenuated cell morphology, the alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization induced by TNF-alpha. Consistent with this, the intracellular cAMP level was elevated after TNF-alpha treatment. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that TNF-alpha enhanced DNA binding of osteoblast specific factor (Osf2), AP1, and CREB, transcription factors that are important for osteoblastic differentiation.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that TNF-alpha enhances in vitro vascular calcification by promoting osteoblastic differentiation of vascular cells through the cAMP pathway.

Lithium regulates PKC-mediated intracellular cross-talk and gene expression in the CNS in vivo

It has become increasingly appreciated that the long-term treatment of complex neuropsychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder (BD) involves the strategic regulation of signaling pathways and gene expression in critical neuronal circuits. Accumulating evidence from our laboratories and others has identified the family of protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes as a shared target in the brain for the long-term action of both lithium and valproate (VPA) in the treatment of BD. In rats chronically treated with lithium at therapeutic levels, there is a reduction in the levels of frontal cortical and hippocampal membrane-associated PKC alpha and PKC epsilon. Using in vivO microdialysis, we have investigated the effects of chronic lithium on the intracellular cross-talk between PKC and the cyclic AMP (cAMP) generating system in vivo. We have found that activation of PKC produces an increase in dialysate cAMP levels in both prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, effects which are attenuated by chronic lithium administration. Lithium also regulates the activity of another major signaling pathway the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway--in a PKC-dependent manner. Both Li and VPA, at therapeutically relevant concentrations, increase the DNA binding of activator protein 1 (AP-1) family of transcription factors in cultured cells in vitro, and in rat brain ex vivo. Furthermore, both agents increase the expression of an AP-1 driven reporter gene, as well as the expression of several endogenous genes known to be regulated by AP-1. Together, these results suggest that the PKC signaling pathway and PKC-mediated gene expression may be important mediators of lithium's long-term therapeutic effects in a disorder as complex as BD.

Lithium activates the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases in vitro and in the CNS in vivo

The therapeutic efficacy of lithium in the treatment of mood disorders is delayed and only observed after chronic administration, a temporal profile that suggests alterations at the genomic level. Lithium has been demonstrated to modulate AP-1 DNA binding activity as well as the expression of genes regulated by AP-1, but the mechanisms underlying these effects have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we found that the lithium-induced increases in AP-1 DNA binding activity were accompanied by increases in p-cJun and cJun levels in SH-SY5Y cells. Lithium also increased cJun-mediated reporter gene expression in a dose-dependent manner, with significant effects observed at therapeutically relevant concentrations. Lithium's effects on cJun-mediated reporter gene expression in SH-SY5Y cells were more pronounced in the absence of myo-inositol and were blocked by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors and by cotransfection with a PKCalpha dominant-negative mutant. Chronic in vivo lithium administration increased AP-1 DNA binding activity in frontal cortex and hippocampus and also increased the levels of the phosphorylated, active forms of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNKs) in both brain regions. These results demonstrate that lithium activates the JNK signaling pathway in rat brain during chronic in vivo administration and in human cells of neuronal origin in vitro; in view of the role of JNKs in regulating various aspects of neuronal function and their well-documented role in regulating gene expression, these effects may play a major role in lithium's long-term therapeutic effects.