Differential effects of warfarin on mRNA levels of developmentally regulated vitamin K dependent proteins,osteocalcin, and matrix Gla protein in vitro

The role of the vitamin K dependent proteins, osteocalcin which is bone specific and matrix Gla protein (MGP) found in many tissues, has been studied by inhibition of synthesis of their characteristic amino acid, γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) with the anticoagulant sodium warfarin. The effect of sodium warfarin on expression of these proteins, and other phenotypic markers of bone and cartilage during cellular differentiation and development of tissue extracellular matrix, was examined in several model systems. Parameters assayed include cell growth (reflected by histone gene expression) and collagen types I and II, osteopontin, alkaline phosphatase, and mineralization. Studies were carried out in calvarial bone organ cultures, normal diploid rat osteoblast and chondrocyte cultures, and rat osteosarcoma cell lines ROS 17/2.8 and 25/1. In normal diploid cells, warfarin consistently stimulated cell proliferation (twofold). In osteoblast cultures, MGP mRNA levels were generally increased (three to tenfold). Notably, MGP mRNA levels were not affected in chondrocyte cultures, either with chronic or acute warfarin treatments. Osteocalcin mRNA levels and synthesis were decreased up to 50% in ROS 17/2.8 cells and in chronically treated (1 and 5 μg/ml sodium warfarin) rat osteoblast cultures after 22 days. Early stages of osteoblast phenotype development from the proliferation period to initial tissue formation (nodules) appeared unaffected; while after day 14, further growth and mineralization of the nodule areas were significantly decreased in warfarin-treated cultures. In summary, warfarin has opposing effects on the expression of two vitamin K dependent proteins, MGP and osteocalcin, in osteoblast cultures and MGP is regulated differently between cartilage and bone as reflected by cellular mRNA levels. Additionally, warfarin effects expression of nonvitamin K dependent proteins which may reflect the influence of warfarin on endoplasmic reticulum associated enzymes. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Relationship of cell growth to the regulation of tissue-specific gene expression during osteoblast differentiation

The relationship of cell proliferation to the temporal expression of genes characterizing a developmental sequence associated with bone cell differentiation can be examined in primary diploid cultures of fetal calvarial-derived osteoblasts by the combination of molecular, biochemical, histochemical, and ultrastructural approaches. Modifications in gene expression define a developmental sequence that has 1) three principal periods: proliferation, extracellular matrix maturation, and mineralization; and 2) two restriction points to which the cells can progress but cannot pass without further signals. The first restriction point is when proliferation is down-regulated and gene expression associated with extracellular matrix maturation is induced, and the second when mineralization occurs. Initially, actively proliferating cells, expressing cell cycle and cell growth regulated genes, produce a fibronectin/type I collagen extracellular matrix. A reciprocal and functionally coupled relationship between the decline in proliferative activity and the subsequent induction of genes associated with matrix maturation and mineralization is supported by 1) a temporal sequence of events in which an enhanced expression of alkaline phosphatase occurs immediately after the proliferative period, and later an increased expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin at the onset of mineralization; 2) increased expression of a specific subset of osteoblast phenotype markers, alkaline phosphatase and osteopontin, when proliferation is inhibited; and 3) enhanced levels of expression of the osteoblast markers when collagen deposition is promoted, suggesting that the extracellular matrix contributes to both the shutdown of proliferation and development of the osteoblast phenotype. The loss of stringent growth control in transformed osteoblasts and in osteosarcoma cells is accompanied by a deregulation of the tightly coupled relationship between proliferation and progressive expression of genes associated with bone cell differentiation.     

Expression of cell growth and bone specific genes at single cell resolution during development of bone tissue-like organization in primary osteoblast cultures.

Primary cultures of calvarial derived normal diploid osteoblasts undergo a developmental expression of genes reflecting growth, extracellular matrix maturation, and mineralization during development of multilayered nodules having a bone tissue-like organization. Scanning electron microscopy of the developing cultures indicates the transition from the uniform distribution of cuboidal osteoblasts to multilayered nodules of smaller cells with a pronounced orientation of perinodular cells towards the apex of the nodule. Ultrastructural analysis of the nodule by transmission electron microscopy indicates that the deposition of mineral is confined to the extracellular matrix where cells appear more osteocytic. The cell body contains rough endoplasmic reticulum and golgi, while these intracellular organelles are not present in the developing cellular processes. To understand the regulation of temporally expressed genes requires an understanding of which genes are selectively expressed on a single cell basis as the bone tissue-like organization develops. In situ hybridization analysis using 35S labelled histone gene probes, together with 3H-thymidine labelling and autoradiography, indicate that greater than 98% of the pre-confluent osteoblasts are proliferating. By two weeks, both the foci of multilayered cells and internodular cell regions have down-regulated cell growth associated genes. Post-proliferatively, but not earlier, initial expression of both osteocalcin and osteopontin are restricted to the multilayered nodules where all cells exhibit expression. While total mRNA levels for osteopontin and osteocalcin are coordinately upregulated with an increase in mineral deposition, in situ hybridization has revealed that expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin occurs predominantly in cells associated with the developing nodules. In contrast, proliferating rat osteosarcoma cells (ROS 17/2.8) concomitantly express histone H4, along with osteopontin and osteocalcin. These in situ analyses of gene expression during osteoblast growth and differentiation at the single cell level establish that a population of proliferating calvarial-derived cells subsequently expresses osteopontin and osteocalcin in cells developing into multilayered nodules with a tissue-like organization.     

Effect of gallium nitrate in vitro and in normal rats

Gallium nitrate (GN) is an inhibitor of bone resorption and thereby may result in a change in coupled bone formation. In the present investigation the effects of GN on bone formation were studied in the rat osteosarcoma (ROS) 17/2.8 cell line and normal diploid rat osteoblasts (ROB) in vitro and the femur of rats treated in vivo, measuring mRNA levels for two osteoblast parameters, type I collagen, a marker of matrix formation, and osteocalcin, a bone specific protein and also histone H₄, a marker of cell proliferation. GN, at 50 μM for 3 h, increased type I collagen mRNA levels by 132% in ROS 17/2.8 cells and by 122% in proliferating ROB cells. Osteocalcin (OC) mRNA levels were decreased by 61% in ROS 17/2.8 cells and by 97% in differentiated ROB cells. These changes occurred in the absence of any effects on cell proliferation. Seventy-day-old female rats were then treated with GN, 0.5 mg/kg/day, for 3 weeks. As previously reported, GN decreased serum calcium levels, but had no effect on lumbar or femoral bone density. In contrast to the in vitro effects, GN had no effect on type I collagen steady-state mRNA levels in the femur; however, it decreased OC steady-state mRNA levels in the femur by 58%. These results suggest that GN has similar in vitro effects in transformed and normal osteoblasts, while the collagen-stimulatory effects observed in vitro cannot be extrapolated to in vivo models. The consistent inhibition of osteocalcin in vitro and in vivo suggests a more specific target for GN that may relate to its effects in inhibiting bone resorption in normal rats.     

甲状旁腺素和胰岛素样生长因子促成骨样细胞ROS 17/2.8增殖分化中的协同作用

 间歇性小剂量地给予甲状旁腺素 (parathyroid hormone,PTH)可促进成骨 .胰岛素样生长因子 - I(insulin- like growth factor- I,IGF- I)由成骨细胞所产生并贮存于骨基质中 ,可促进成骨细胞的增殖分化 .为进一步了解向钙性激素和骨源性生长因子对骨生长的影响 ,利用成骨样细胞 ROS1 7/ 2 .8进行体外实验 ,观察了 PTH和 IGF- I这两种在骨生长和代谢中有重要作用的激素和因子相互作用的效果 ,并对其相互作用机制作出初步探讨 .结果显示 :联合使用 IGF- I及 PTH(间歇性给药 )时 ,(1 ) SRB(sodium rhodamine B,SRB)染色显示经 PTH(1 0 -9mol/ L,间歇给药 )和 IGF- I(1 0 -9mol/ L)联合处理的细胞 ,其数目明显增加 ,且明显高于单独处理组 ;(2 ) 3H- Td R参入增加 ,也明显高于单独处理组 ;(3)与增殖相关的原癌基因 (c- fos,c- jun,c- ki- ras)的表达增强 ,明显高于单独处理组 ;(4)骨钙素 (osteocalcin)基因 m RNA表达增强 ,明显高于单独处理组 ;(5) IGF- I(1 0 -8mol/L,1 0 -9mol/ L)可使 PTH受体基因 m RNA表达增强 .这些结果提示 PTH和 IGF- I在成骨样细胞ROS 1 7/ 2 .8增殖分化中具有协同作用 ,原癌基因的表达增强可能是其作用的一个环节 .此外 ,IGF- I可能通过增强 PTH受体表达 ,使细胞对 PTH的反应性增强     

Progressive development of the rat osteoblast phenotype in vitro: reciprocal relationships in expression of genes associated with osteoblast proliferation and differentiation during formation of the bone extracellular matrix.

The relationship of cell proliferation to the temporal expression of genes characterizing a developmental sequence associated with bone cell differentiation was examined in primary diploid cultures of fetal calvarial derived osteoblasts by the combined use of autoradiography, histochemistry, biochemistry, and mRNA assays of osteoblast cell growth and phenotypic genes. Modifications in gene expression define a developmental sequence that has 1) three principle periods--proliferation, extracellular matrix maturation, and mineralization--and 2) two restriction points to which the cells can progress but cannot pass without further signals--the first when proliferation is down-regulated and gene expression associated with extracellular matrix maturation is induced, and the second when mineralization occurs. Initially, actively proliferating cells, expressing cell cycle- and cell growth-regulated genes, produce a fibronectin/type I collagen extracellular matrix. A reciprocal and functionally coupled relationship between the decline in proliferative activity and the subsequent induction of genes associated with matrix maturation and mineralization is supported by 1) a temporal sequence of events in which there is an enhanced expression of alkaline phosphatase immediately following the proliferative period, and later, an increased expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin at the onset of mineralization; 2) increased expression of a specific subset of osteoblast phenotype markers, alkaline phosphatase and osteopontin, when proliferation is inhibited by hydroxyurea; and 3) enhanced levels of expression of the osteoblast markers as a function of ascorbic acid-induced collagen deposition, suggesting that the extracellular matrix contributes to both the shutdown of proliferation and the development of the osteoblast phenotype.     

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin inhibits differentiation of normal diploid rat osteoblasts in vitro

The influence of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a potent halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon, on the development of bone tissue-like organization in primary cultures of normal diploid calvarial-derived rat osteoblasts was examined. Initially, when placed in culture, these cells actively proliferate while expressing genes associated with biosynthesis of the bone extracellular matrix. Then, post-proliferatively, genes are expressed that render the osteoblast competent for extracellular matrix mineralization and maintenance of structural as well as functional properties of the mature bone-cell phenotype. Our results indicate that, in the presence of TCDD, proliferation of osteoblasts was not inhibited but post-confluent formation of multicellular nodules that develop bone tissue-like organization was dramatically suppressed. Consistent with TCDD-mediated abrogation of bone nodule formation, expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin was not upregulated post-proliferatively. These findings are discussed within the context of TCDD effects on estrogens and vitamin D-responsive developmental gene expression during osteoblast differentiation and, from a broader biological perspective, on steroid hormone control of differentiation.     

脂质体介导VEGF基因对成骨细胞增殖、合成骨钙素以及细胞周期的相关研究

目的:研究脂质体介导血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)基因对成骨细胞增殖、合成骨钙素以及细胞周期的影响。方法:通过脂质体介导的基因转染方法,将携带外源性VEGF重组pcDNA3-hVEGF质粒导入体外培养的成骨细胞,酶联免疫吸附测定法(ELISA)检测转染后细胞中VEGF浓度变化,以判断转染效果;采用细胞计数法检测转染重组质粒的成骨细胞的增殖活性;流式细胞术检测转染重组质粒的成骨细胞周期的变化;ELISA检测转染重组质粒的成骨细胞骨钙素浓度变化。结果:与对照组相比,转染组成骨细胞中VEGF的浓度显著增加,与对照组间差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);转染重组质粒的成骨细胞的增殖能力较对照组显著增强,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05),与对照组相比,转染重组质粒的成骨细胞周期(G2/M+S)%明显增加,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);转染重组质粒的成骨细胞合成的骨钙素浓度较对照组显著升高,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:脂质体介导成骨细胞增加血管内皮生长因子的水平,可促进成骨细胞增殖,增加成骨细胞骨钙素的浓度,从而提高成骨细胞的功能。     

Acidic fibroblast growth factor inhibits osteoblast differentiation in vitro: Altered expression of collagenase,cell growth-related,and mineralization-associated genes

Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) are osteoblast mitogens, but their effects on bone formation are not clearly understood. Most in vitro studies examining the effects of FGFs on osteoblasts have been performed only during the initial proliferative stage of osteoblast culture. In these studies, we examined the consequential effect of acidic FGF in cultures of rat fetal diploid osteoblasts that undergo a developmental differentiation program producing a mineralized bone-like matrix. During the initial growth period (days 1–10), addition of acidic FGF (100 μg/ml) to actively proliferating cells increased (P < 0.05) ³H-thymidine uptake (2,515 ± 137, mean ± SEM vs. 5,884 ± 818 cpm/10⁴ cells). During the second stage of maturation (days 10–15), osteoblasts form multilayered nodules of cells and accumulate matrix, followed by mineralization (stage 3, days 16–29). Addition of acidic FGF to the osteoblast cultures from days 7 to 15 completely blocked nodule formation. Furthermore, addition of acidic FGF after nodule formation (days 14–29) inhibited matrix mineralization, which was associated with a marked increase in collagenase gene expression, and resulted in a progressive change in the morphology of the nodules, with only a few remnants of nonmineralized nodules present by day 29. Histochemical and biochemical analyses revealed a decrease in alkaline phosphatase and mineral content, confirming the acidic FGF-induced inhibition of nodule and matrix formation. To identify mechanisms contributing to these changes, we examined expression of cell growth and bone phenotypic markers. Addition of acidic FGF during the proliferative phase (days 7–8) enhanced histone H4, osteopontin, type 1 collagen, and TGF-β mRNA levels, which are coupled to proliferating osteoblasts, and blocked the normal developmental increase in alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin gene expression and calcium accumulation. Addition of acidic FGF to the cultures during matrix maturation (days 14–15) reactivated H4, osteopontin, type I collagen, and TGF-β gene expression, and decreased alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin gene expression. In an in vivo experiment, rats were treated with up to 60 μg/kg/day acidic FGF intravenously for 30 days. Proliferation of osteoblasts and deposition of bone occurred in the marrow space of the diaphysis of the femur in a dose-related fashion. The metaphyseal areas were unaffected by treatment. In conclusion, our data suggest that acidic FGF is a potent mitogen for early stage osteoblasts which leads to modifications in the formation of the extracellular matrix; increases in TGF-β and collagenase are functionally implicated in abrogating competency for nodule formation. Persistence of proliferation prevented expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin, also contributing to the block in the progression of the osteoblast developmental sequence. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.