Estrogen protects primary osteocytes against glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis.

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis may be at least in part due to the increased apoptosis of osteocytes. To study the role of osteocyte apoptosis in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, we isolated primary osteocytes from murine calvaria for the analysis of the effects of dexamethasone in in vitro culture. The cells were identified by morphology, cytochemical staining, immunocytochemical staining and mRNA expression of phosphate-regulating gene with homology to endopeptidases on the X chromosome (PHEX) and sclerosteosis/van Buchem disease gene (SOST). We found that dexamethasone induced osteocyte apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. A glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, mifepristone (RU486), suppressed dexamethasone-induced osteocyte apoptosis, suggesting that it was mediated by glucocorticoid receptor. Immunocytochemical stainings showed that glucocorticoid receptors are present in primary osteocytes, and they were translocated to nuclei after the exposure to dexamethasone. Addition of estrogen prevented glucocorticoid receptor translocation into nuclei. Corresponding antiapoptotic effects in primary osteocytes were also seen after the pretreatment of primary osteocytes with a picomolar concentration of estrogen. The pure antiestrogen ICI 182,780 inhibited estrogen effect on apoptosis induced by dexamethasone. These data suggest that glucocorticoid receptors play an important role in glucocorticoid-induced osteocyte apoptosis. Most importantly, estrogen has a protective effect against osteocyte apoptosis. To conclude, the mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis may be due to the apoptosis of osteocytes, which can be opposed by estrogen.

Coevolution of the domains of cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases.

Many signaling molecules are multidomain proteins that have other domains in addition to the catalytic kinase domain. Protein tyrosine kinases almost without exception contain Src homology 2 (SH2) and/or SH3 domains that can interact with other signaling proteins. Here, we studied evolution of the tyrosine kinases containing SH2 and/or SH3 and kinase domains. The three domains seem to have duplicated together, since the phylogenetic analysis using parsimony gave almost identical evolutionary trees for the separate domains and the multidomain complexes. The congruence analysis of the sequences for the separate domains also suggested that the domains have coevolved. There are several reasons for the domains to appear in a cluster. Kinases are regulated in many ways, and the presence of SH2 and SH3 domains at proper positions is crucial. Because all three domains can recognize different parts of ligands and substrates, their evolution has been interconnected. The reasons for the clustering and coevolution of the three domains in protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) are discussed.

Missense mutations affecting a conserved cysteine pair in the TH domain of Btk.

Tec family protein tyrosine kinases have in their N-terminus two domains. The PH domain is followed by Tec homology (TH) domain, which consists of two motifs. The first pattern, Btk motif, is also present in some Ras GAP molecules. C-terminal half of the TH domain, a proline-rich region, has been shown to bind to SH3 domains. Mutations in Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) belonging to the Tec family cause X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) due to developmental arrest of B cells. Here we present the first missense mutations in the TH domain. The substitutions affect a conserved pair of cysteines, residues 154 and 155, involved in Zn2+ binding and thereby the mutations alter protein folding and stability.