Wnt5a Supports Osteogenic Lineage Decisions in Embryonic Stem Cells.

The specification of pluripotent stem cells into the bone-forming osteoblasts has been explored in a number of studies. However, the current body of literature has yet to adequately address the role of Wnt glycoproteins in the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells along the osteogenic lineage. During mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC) in vitro osteogenesis, the noncanonical WNT5a is expressed early on. Cells either sorted by their positive WNT5a expression or when supplemented with recombinant WNT5a (rWNT5a) during a 2-day window showed significantly enhanced osteogenic yield. Mechanistically, rWNT5a supplementation upregulated protein kinase C (PKC), calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CamKII) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity while antagonizing the key effector of canonical Wnt signaling: ß-catenin. Conversely, when recombinant WNT3a (rWNT3a) or other positive regulators of ß-catenin were employed during this same time window there was a decrease in osteogenic marker expression. However, if rWNT3a was supplemented during a time window following rWNT5a treatment, osteogenic differentiation was enhanced both in murine and human ESCs. Elucidating the role of these WNT ligands in directing the early stages of osteogenesis has the potential to considerably improve tissue engineering protocols and applications for regenerative medicine.

NO-ß-catenin crosstalk modulates primitive streak formation prior to embryonic stem cell osteogenic differentiation.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to play a crucial role in bone formation in vivo. We sought to determine the temporal effect of NO on murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) under culture conditions that promote osteogenesis. Expression profiles of NO pathway members and osteoblast-specific markers were analyzed using appropriate assays. We found that NO was supportive of osteogenesis specifically during an early phase of in vitro development (days 3-5). Furthermore, ESCs stably overexpressing the inducible NO synthase showed accelerated and enhanced osteogenesis in vitro and in bone explant cultures. To determine the role of NO in early lineage commitment, a stage in ESC differentiation equivalent to primitive streak formation in vivo, ESCs were transfected with a T-brachyury-GFP reporter. Expression levels of T-brachyury and one of its upstream regulators, ß-catenin, the major effector in the canonical Wnt pathway, were responsive to NO levels in differentiating primitive streak-like cells. Our results indicate that NO may be involved in early differentiation through regulation of ß-catenin and T-brachyury, controlling the specification of primitive-streak-like cells, which may continue through differentiation to later become osteoblasts.

Homo- and hetero-dimerization of LPA/S1P receptors, OGR1 and GPR4.

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) form homo- and hetero-dimers or -oligomers, which are functionally important. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are bioactive lysophopholipids involved in diverse biological processes. We have examined homo- and hetero-dimerization among three major LPA receptors (LPA(1-3)), three major S1P receptors (S1P(1-3)), as well as OGR1 and GPR4. Using LacZ complementation assays, we have shown that LPA receptors form homo- and hetero-dimers within the LPA receptor subgroup and hetero-dimers with other receptors (S1P(1-3) and GPR4). In addition, we have found that although GPR4 and OGR1 share more than 50% homology, GPR4 forms strong homo- and hetero-dimers with LPA and S1P receptors, but OGR1 forms very weak homo-dimer and relatively weak hetero-dimers with other receptors. Using chimeric receptors between GPR4 and OGR1, we have shown that different domains of GPR4 receptor are involved in its dimerization with different GPCRs and more than one domain may be involved in some of the complex formation. Our results suggest that when studying a signal transduction induced by a stimulus, not only is the expression and activation of its own receptor(s), but also the status of the interacting receptors should be taken into consideration.

[Cytochrome P450 2C19 gene polymorphism in 104 Chinese Zang volunteers].

Cytochrome P 450 2C19 (CYP2C19) is involved in the metabolism of a number of clinically used drugs. Individuals can be characterized as extensive metabolizers (EMs) or poor metabolizers (PMs) , according to the drugs-metabolized ability of CYP2C19 in population studies. The incidence of poor metabolizer phenotype shows marked interracial differences. In this article we report the gene polymorphism of CYP2C19 in Zang population. There were 49 wild-type homozygotes (wt/wt) , 46 were heterozygotes (wt/m1) and 9 were homozygotes (m1/m1) among 104 unrelated Zang subjects. The frequency of CYP2C19(m1) allele was 0.308, which was in agreement with that in other published data.