RANKL directly induces bone morphogenetic protein-2 expression in RANK-expressing POS-1 osteosarcoma cells.

The POS-1 murine model of osteolytic osteosarcoma was used to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the development of primary bone tumors and associated lung metastasis. The POS-1 cell line is derived from an osteosarcoma tumor which develops spontaneously in C3H mice. The POS-1 cell line was characterized in vitro by mineralization capacity and expression of bone markers by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, compared to primary osteoblasts and bone marrow cells. POS-1 cells showed no mineralization capacity and exhibited an undifferentiated phenotype, expressing both osteoblastic and unexpected osteoclastic markers (TRAP, cathepsin K and RANK). Thereby, experiments were performed to determine whether RANK was functional, by studying the biological activity of murine RANKL through the receptor RANK expressed on POS-1 cells. Results revealed a RANKL-induced increase in ERK phosphorylation, as well as BMP-2 induction at the mRNA and protein levels, and a decrease of POS-1 cell proliferation in the presence of 10 ng/ml RANKL. BMP-2 induction is dependent on the ERK 1/2 signal transduction pathway, as its expression is abolished in the presence of UO126, a specific synthetic inhibitor of the ERK 1/2 pathway. Moreover, a 2-fold molar excess of soluble RANK blocks the RANKL-induced BMP-2 expression, demonstrating that the biological effects of RANKL observed in POS-1 cells are mediated by RANK. This is the first report describing a functional RANK expressed on osteosarcoma cells, as shown by its ability to induce signal transduction pathways and biological activity when stimulated by RANKL.

Zoledronic acid suppresses lung metastases and prolongs overall survival of osteosarcoma-bearing mice.

BACKGROUND: Although there is no doubt that bisphosphonates (BPs), specific inhibitors of osteoclasts, are beneficial for the treatment of bone metastases, their effects on visceral metastases are unclear. The effect of zoledronic acid (ZOL) was examined in vivo on lung metastasis progression and animal survival, and in vitro on the cellular mechanisms involved. METHODS: An animal model of lung metastasis was developed in C3H/He mice inoculated intravenously with a spontaneous murine osteosarcoma POS-1 cell line. Lung metastasis was determined at the time of autopsy. ZOL was assessed in vitro on POS-1 cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and caspase-1 and -3 activities. RESULTS: The overall survival in five independent experiments (two series treated with ZOL 0.1 mg/kg twice a week, and three series with 0.1 mg/kg five times a week) showed a significant increase of the actuarial survival: 0.422 +/- 0.07 in ZOL-treated animals versus 0.167 +/- 0.07 in controls (P = 0.036). Lung metastases were absent in all ZOL-treated mice that survived more than 21 days postinjection as revealed by macroscopic and histologic analysis. In vitro, a 48-hour incubation with 10 microM ZOL inhibited POS-1 cell line proliferation associated with cell cycle arrest in S-phase. In addition, ZOL induced a weak increase of caspase-3 activity, but not caspase-1. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that ZOL exerts a direct antitumor effect on POS-1 cells in vitro, significantly diminishes osteosarcoma-induced lung metastasis in vivo, thereby prolonging survival of POS-1-inoculated animals.

Inhibition of lung metastasis of osteosarcoma cell line POS-1 transplanted into mice by thigh ligation.

Using a model with external ligation of the thigh, the effect of ischemia-reperfusion injury on tumor growth and the activity of lung metastasis was investigated in mice inoculated a spontaneous murine osteosarcoma cell line (POS-1) in vivo. POS-1 cell suspension was inoculated into the right hind footpad of 70 mice. Four weeks after inoculation, the ipsilateral thigh was ligated for 3 h in 15 mice and the contralateral thigh in 15 mice. Another ten mice were inoculated with POS-1 without ligating the thigh. The number of metastatic foci on the lung surface 6 weeks after inoculation was 2.29+/-0.98 (mean+/-SE) foci/lungs in mice with ipsilateral ligation and 6.25+/-2.41 in mice with contralateral ligation, which were significantly lower than control (13.40+/-1.42 in mice no ligation) (P<0.01). The number of metastatic foci on the lung surface in mice with intraperitoneal injection of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase was 3.25+/-0.65 (mean+/-SE) foci/lungs in mice with ligation which was significantly greater than that in mice without SOD and catalase injection 1.29+/-0.97 (P=0.04). Cell viability was 9.12+/-4.07% with 100 microM H(2)O(2) in 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. It revealed that at concentrations of 100 microM H(2)O(2) or higher was cytotoxic to POS-1. In cell invasion assay, the number of invading cells with 10 microM H(2)O(2) was 2.80+/-0.53 cells/field, which was significantly lower than control (5.93+/-0.18) (mean+/-SE), indicating that low-dose H(2)O(2) suppressed invasion of POS-1. These results suggested that reperfusion injury had selective cytotoxicity to POS-1 through producing reactive oxygen species. Activated oxygen was considered to inhibit the regional growth and the ability of lung metastasis of POS-1 cells.

Merkel cell carcinoma with bone metastasis: a case report.

A case of Merkel cell carcinoma with bone metastasis is described. The patient, who had a history of Merkel cell carcinoma of the skin in the right cheek, had spontaneous pain in the right thigh. At the initial visit, the right hip range of motion was slightly limited, but there was no gait disturbance or abnormality in the radiographs of the right hip. However, the pain gradually increased and caused gait disturbance. The patient underwent surgical treatment. A bipolar type of femoral prosthesis was implanted into the femur, and sampling of cancellous bone was performed at the time of osteotomy. Pathological examination showed the findings of Merkel cell carcinoma. Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor of the skin, which usually occurs on the head, neck, or extremities and metastasizes to the lymph nodes. Although osseous involvement often occurs in the adjacent facial bones through direct invasion, distant osseous metastasis appears to be extremely rare.