Keeting, Philip E.

Abstract Periosteal cells were isolated from tibiae of adult male rats after collagenase treatment. Northern blot analysis of total cytoplasmic RNA extracted from the isolated periosteal cells was positive for expression of genes encoding the osteoblast marker proteins osteocalcin (BGP) and pre-pro-α2(I) chain of type 1 procollagen. The isolated periosteal cells were incubated with 1 nM [3H]testosterone ([3H]T) for up to 240 minutes and the reaction products separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. [3H]5α-dihydrotestosterone ([3H]DHT) was not detected in extracts of periosteal cell incubations. In contrast, [3H]DHT was produced in a time-dependent manner by cells from seminal vesicles. These results suggest that testosterone 5α-reductase activity is not expressed by osteoblasts in rat tibial periosteum and that the anabolic effects of androgens in this tissue are not mediated by locally produced DHT.

Abstract To determine if bone cells produce interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a potent bone resorption-stimulating agent, we studied well-characterized, nearly homogeneous cultures of normal human osteoblast-like (hOB) cells. With four strains of such cells, vehicle-treated cultures produced minimal IL-1β (mean ± SEM, 1.3 ± 0.3 pg/ml per 106 cells per 24 h) and showed dose-dependent (r = 0.99) increases to 2.2 ± 0.7, 5.0 ± 0.9, or 17.8 ± 6.7 pg/ml, respectively, after treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 3, 10, or 30 μg/ml (for increases after 10 and 30 μg/ml treatments, P < 0.05). After treatment with tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α at 10 U/ ml, IL-1β increased to 16.2 * 3.7 pg/ml (P < 0.05). Neither 17β-estradiol nor bovine parathyroid hormone(1–34) (each at 10 nM), alone or in combination with LPS or TNF-α, affected IL-1β release. Northern blot analysis of total cellular RNA preparation revealed a single hybridization band at 1.9 kb when probed with a partially deleted cDNA for human IL-1β. The steady-state IL-1β mRNA levels showed a significant increase with LPS treatment and a lesser increase with TNF-α treatment in hOB cells. Moreover, TNF-α produced an even greater increase in IL-1 mRNA in HOBIT cells, a well-differentiated clonal cell line derived from normal hOB cells transfected with the SV40 large T antigen. We conclude that human cells of the osteoblast lineage produce IL-Iβ in response to well-recognized stimuli for IL-1 release from responsive tissue. Therefore, IL-1 may play an important role in the local regulation of bone remodeling.

Abstract Although osteoblasts contain estrogen receptors, it is unclear whether estrogen has direct effects on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. We evaluated the effects of 17β-estradiol treatment (1 pM to 10 nM) on the proliferation and differentiation of cultured normal adult human cells that expressed many of the phenotypic characteristics and hormonal sensitivities of mature osteoblasts (hOB cells). Treatment of hOB cells with estradiol for as long as 144 h did not affect the rate of DNA synthesis and had minimal, if any, effects on differentiated function. Whereas alkaline phosphatase activity was increased by nearly twofold (P < 0.01) when the hOB cells were treated with 1 nM 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3], treatment with estradiol had no effect when given alone and did not affect the cells' response to 1,25-(OH)2D3. Similarly, the release of bone gla protein (BGP, osteocalcin) was induced by treatment with 1,25-(OH)2D3 (P < 0.05), but estradiol treatment did not affect this response. Cellular levels of mRNA for alkaline phosphatase and BGP were not altered by estradiol treatment. We conclude that estradiol treatment does not have major effects on the growth or differentiation of cultured hOB cells. These results are consistent with previous observations in vivo that indicate estrogen acts principally to decrease bone resorption, not to modulate its formation.

Abstract A new bone cell line was established by transfecting normal adult human osteoblast-like (hOB) cells, derived from a 68-year-old woman, with the plasmid pSV3 neo. The plasmid included coding sequences and promotors for the large and small T antigens of the SV40 virus as well as resistance to the antibiotics neomycin and G418. A single antibiotic-resistant colony was located and cloned. Large tumor antigen production in the clonal cell line was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence study. Treatment with 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 increased steady-state concentrations of protein and mRNA for osteocalcin and for alkaline phosphatase. Northern blot analyses also demonstrated the presence of mRNAs for α(I)-procollagen, osteopontin 1a, transforming growth factor β, and interleukin-1β. The plasma membrane calcium pump and osteonectin were identified by immunocytochemical analysis. These cells produced a matrix that mineralized when β-glycerophosphate was added to their cultures. As assessed by functional receptor assays, both estrogen and androgen receptors were present and functional, although at low concentrations. Treatment with parathyroid hormone did not stimulate adenylate cyclase activity. Thus, these cells are a well-differentiated, steroid-responsive clonal cell line that closely approximates the phenotype of the mature osteoblast. They should serve as an excellent model for the study of osteoblast biology.

Abstract Silicon in trace amounts enhances bone formation, and the silicon-containing compound zeolite A (ZA) increases eggshell thickness in hens. In the studies reported here, treatment of nearly homogeneous strains of normal human osteoblast-like cells for 48 h with ZA at 0.1–100 μg/ml induced a dose-dependent increase (r = 0.35, P < 0.001) in DNA synthesis (n = 31) to 162 ± 16% (mean ± SEM) of control and in the proportion of cells in mitosis (n = 4) from 9.1 ± 1.8 to 27.0 ± 4.5% (r = 0.69, P < 0.005). ZA treatment also increased alkaline phosphatase activity (P < 0.05) and osteocalcin release (P < 0.05) but did not significantly affect collagen production per individual cell. The mitogenic action of ZA was dependent on cell seeding density over the range of 1250–40,000 cells per cm2, which is consistent with induction of an autocrine factors). TGF-β is a potent mitogen for osteoblasts. ZA treatment increased the steady-state mRNA levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and induced the release of the latent form of TGF-β protein into the conditioned medium within 6 h. We conclude that ZA induces the proliferation and differentiation of cells of the osteoblast lineage.

The sex steroids, androgens and estrogens, are major regulators of bone metabolism. However, whether these hormones act on bone cells through direct or indirect mechanisms has remained unclear. A nuclear binding assay recently used to demonstrate estrogen receptors in bone [Eriksen, E.F., Colvard, D.S., Berg, N.J., Graham, M.L., Mann, K.G., Spelsberg, T.C. & Riggs, B.L. (1988) Science 241, 84-86] was used to identify specific nuclear binding of a tritiated synthetic androgen, [3H]R1881 (methyltrienolone), in 21 of 25 (84%) human osteoblast-like cell strains and a concentration of bound steroid receptors of 821 +/- 140 (mean +/- SEM) molecules per cell nucleus. Binding was saturable and steroid-specific. Androgen receptor gene expression in osteoblasts was confirmed by RNA blot analysis. Relative concentrations of androgen and estrogen receptors were compared by measuring specific nuclear estrogen binding. Nuclear binding of [3H]estradiol was observed in 27 of 30 (90%) cell strains; the concentration of bound estradiol receptor was 1537 +/- 221 molecules per cell nucleus. The concentrations of nuclear binding sites were similar in males and females for both [3H]R1881 and [3H]estradiol. We conclude that both androgens and estrogens act directly on human bone cells through their respective receptor-mediated mechanisms.