ABSTRACT
The OPG/RANKL/RANK system plays an important role in osteoclastogenesis and represents a great progress in bone biology. RANKL, which expresses on the surface of osteoblast/stromal cells and activated T cells, binds to RANK on the osteoclastic precursors or mature osteoclasts, and promotes osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. While osteoprotegerin (OPG), which is expressed by osteoblasts/stromal cells, strongly inhibits bone resorption by binding to its ligand RANKL and thereby blocks the interaction between BANKL and RANK. A number of cytokines and hormones exert their effects on bone metabolism by regulating the OPG/RANKL ratio in the bone marrow microenvironment. RANK is also expressed on mammary epithelial cells and RANKL expression in these cells is induced by pregnancy hormones, RANKL and RANK are essential for the formation of the lactating mammary gland and the transmission of maternal calcium to neonates in mammalian species. Modulation of these systems provides a unique opportunity to develop novel therapeutics to inhibit bone loss in osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and bone metastasis of cancer. Further research should be focused on the cooperation of OPG/RANKL/RANK system with other signal pathways and the interactions among bone remodeling, immune system and endocrinology system. Currently, the development of OPG analogues or compounds which may stimulate OPG expression is becoming an attractive industry which may be profitable to both patients and manufacturers.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Bone Resorption , Allergy and Immunology , Metabolism , Osteoclasts , Cell Biology , Metabolism , Pathology , Osteogenesis , Genetics , Allergy and Immunology , Osteoprotegerin , Metabolism , Physiology , RANK Ligand , Metabolism , Physiology , Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B , Metabolism , Pharmacology , Physiology , T-Lymphocytes , Allergy and ImmunologyABSTRACT
Using the isolated total RNA from osteosacoma cell line MG63, the cDNA encoding human OPG was amplified by RT-PCR. A recombinant adenoviral vector carrying cDNA of OPG was constructed and OPG expression in mouse myoblast C2C12 cells was confirmed by Western blot and ELISA. The secreted expression of OPG protein persisted more than 6 weeks in vitro, and the growth of C2C12 cells infected by recombinant adenoviral were in good state. Osteoclasts derived from mouse bone marrow cells infected with recombinant adenoviral made less number of TRAP positive cells and resorption pits formed on dentine slices.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Male , Mice , Adenoviridae , Genetics , Blotting, Western , Cell Line , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Genetic Vectors , Genetics , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Osteoclasts , Metabolism , Osteoprotegerin , Genetics , Metabolism , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To express human osteoprotegerin (OPG) in E. Coli and analyze its bioactivity in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Synthetic oligonucleotides were used to amplify human OPG gene by RT-PCR from total RNA of human osteosarcoma cell line MG63. The OPG cDNA coding for 380 amino acid residues was inserted into prokaryotic expression vector pRSET-A, transformed into competent E. Coli BL21, and induced by 0.1 mmol/l IPTG. SDS-PAGE and Western blot were performed to identify OPG-6His fusion protein. After purified by affinity chromatography, 1,000 microg/L or 1,500 microg/L of OPG-6His were added into the mouse bone marrow cells culture medium. The number of tartrate-resistant acid phophatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cells and resorption pits were counted to assess the bioactivity of expression products.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sequence of OPG mature peptide encoding cDNA obtained in this experiment was as same as reported. SDS-PAGE showed 24% of total bacterial protein was of OPG-6His fusion protein. Western blot assay demonstrated that the molecular weight of recombinant protein was about 46 KD and could react specifically with human anti-OPG antibody. The mouse bone marrow cells were induced by 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitaminD3 (10(-8) mol/L) and Dexamethasone (10(-7) mol/L) to form osteoclastic-like multinucleated cells. 1,500 microg/L of purified OPG-6His protein could decrease the number of resorption pits and TRAP-positive multinucleated cells in vitro (P < 0.05), but it didn't show the same effects when the concentration of OPG-6His fusion protein was of 1,000 microg/L.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Human OPG-6His fusion protein is expressed and purified in E. Coli. The expression products have moderate inhibitory effects on osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption in vitro only when excessive amount of proteins are added into the culture medium, indicating that prokaryotic expression of fuctionalal OPG protein awaits further investigation.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Cell Differentiation , Cell Line, Tumor , Cloning, Molecular , Escherichia coli , Genetics , Glycoproteins , Genetics , Osteoclasts , Physiology , Osteoprotegerin , Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear , Genetics , Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor , Recombinant Fusion Proteins , PharmacologyABSTRACT
Functional analysis of new genes is playing a central role in postgenomic era. Here we reviewed several main strategies including bioinformatics, gene transduction, antisense technology, certain gene silence induced by RNA interference (RNAi), transgene and gene knockout and artificial chromosome transduction.