Big and little forms of osteoclast activating factor.

We have further characterized osteoclast activating factor (OAF) using a bioassay for bone resorption which utilizes the release of previously incorporated (45)Ca from fetal rat long bones in organ culture. When supernatant media from activated leukocyte cultures were concentrated on Amicon PM10 membranes (assigned molecular weight cutoff 10,000 daltons) and chromatographed on Sephadex G-50 columns, the bone-resorbing activity eluted between the molecular weight markers chymotrypsinogen (25,000 daltons) and cytochrome c (12,500 daltons). This peak of biological activity has been called big OAF. When filtrates from the PM10 membranes were concentrated on Amicon UM2 membranes (assigned molecular weight cutoff 1,000 daltons) and chromatographed on Sephadex G-50 columns, some of the biological activity eluted between the molecular weight markers chymotrypsinogen and cytochrome c (big OAF), but there was a separate peak of biological activity which eluted with [(3)H]proline (140 daltons). This second peak has been called little OAF. Little OAF was eluted from Bio-Gel P6 columns between the molecular weight markers calcitonin (approximately 3,500 daltons) and vitamin B(12) (1,330 daltons), but was retained by Spectrapor dialysis tubing (nominal molecular weight cutoff 3,500 daltons). Big OAF was converted to little OAF by equilibration in 1 M NaCl or 2 M urea. Little OAF was self-associated back to big OAF by equilibration in buffers of low ionic strength (Tris-HCl 10-50 mM). Little OAF was extracted into the organic phase in ethyl acetate after acidification of the sample to pH 3.5. The biological activity remained in the aqueous phase after ethyl acetate extraction at pH 7.5-8.4. Little OAF has been purified more than 6,000-fold compared with the original material so that bone-resorbing activity is maximal in a sample with a protein concentration of 80 ng/ml.

Direct resorption of bone by human monocytes.

Cultured human peripheral blood monocytes stimulate the release of bone mineral and matrix from killed long bones of fetal rats. These effects were inhibited by cortisol but were not altered by hormones that normally stimulate osteoclastic bone resorption. There was no evidence of morphologic differentiation of the monocytes into osteoclasts during bone resorption.

Direct stimulation of bone resorption by thyroid hormones.

Although hypercalcemia, osteoporosis, and increased bone turnover are associated with thyrotoxicosis, no direct effects of thyroid hormones on bone metabolism have been reported previously in organ culture. We have now demonstrated that prolonged treatment with thyroxine (T4) or triiodothyronine (T3) can directly increase bone resorption in cultured fetal rat long bones as measured by the release of previously incorporated 45Ca. T4 and T3 at 1 muM to 10 nM increased 45Ca release by 10-60% of total bone 45Ca during 5 days of culture. The medium contained 4 mg/ml of bovine serum albumin to which 90% of T4 and T3 were bound, so that free concentrations were less than 0.1 muM. The response to T4 and T3 was inhibited by cortisol (1 muM) and calcitonin (100 mU/ml). Indomethacin did not inhibit T4 response suggesting that T4 stimulation of bone resorption was not mediated by increased prostaglandin synthesis by the cultured bone. Matrix resorption was demonstrated by a decrease in extracted dry weight and hydroxyproline concentration of treated bones and by histologic examination which also showed increased osteoclast activity. The effects of thyroid hormones were not only slower than those of other potent stimulators of osteoclastic bone resorption (parathyroid hormone, vitamin D metabolites, osteoclast activating factor, and prostaglandins), but the maximum response was not as great. We conclude that T4 and T3 can directly stimulate bone resorption in vitro at concentrations approaching those which occur in thyrotoxicosis. This effect may explain the disturbances of calcium metabolism seen in hyperthyroidism.