Establishment and characterization of two immortalized cell lines of the osteoblastic lineage.

Osteoblastic cells were cloned by culturing rat calvariae cells in agarose in the presence of TGF-beta and EGF. Two bone cell lines were established by immortalizing such an osteoblastic clonal cell population by the introduction of the avian v-mycOK10 gene in the form of a mouse ecotropic retrovirus. Although originating from the same clonal cell population, the two lines exhibited somewhat differing properties. IRC10/30-myc1 expressed alkaline phosphatase (AP), showed PTH- and PGE2-induced cAMP production, synthesized mainly collagen type I and a minor fraction of type III, and produced mRNA for the bone-specific protein osteocalcin. IRC10/30-myc3 did not express AP, showed no PTH responsiveness, and synthesized only about one-third as much collagen as IRC10/30-myc1 (4 versus 12% of total protein synthesis). However, the cell line IRC10/30-myc3 was induced to synthesize cAMP by PGE2 and produced osteocalcin mRNA. When cultured in vivo in diffusion chambers, both lines proved to be osteogenic. Besides bone, both lines also formed cartilage and fibrous tissue. Thus, by immortalizing a clonal cell population of the osteoblastic phenotype, cell lines expressing varying properties can emerge. Furthermore, the expression of alkaline phosphatase and PTH-inducible adenylate cyclase are not prerequisites for a cell to form bone in vivo. Finally, cells expressing the phenotype of differentiated osteoblasts, including osteocalcin synthesis, still have a multipotential differentiation capacity and form bone and cartilage in vivo.

Impairment of macrophage colony-stimulating factor production and lack of resident bone marrow macrophages in the osteopetrotic op/op mouse.

Mouse calvaria-derived osteoblastlike cells have been shown to produce macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). This factor may be involved in osteoclastogenesis and thus in bone resorption. In the present study we investigated whether the production of M-CSF was altered in the osteopetrotic mouse mutant strain op/op, characterized by a decrease in osteoclast number and an impairment of bone resorption. Whole calvariae and cells, as well as skin and lung fibroblasts, of the op/op mouse were found to produce no measurable M-CSF, in contrast to tissue and cells derived from normal littermates. M-CSF was identified by colony assay in semisolid media and by inhibition of the biologic activity with antiserum against M-CSF. Furthermore, the number of resident macrophages, identified by F4/80 antigen (F4/80 Ag) immunohistochemistry, was drastically decreased in bone and bone marrow of the op/op mouse, but in skin these cells were normal in number and morphology. These findings suggest that both M-CSF and resident macrophages play a role in the mechanism of bone resorption. The op/op mouse appears to be a valuable model to further investigate such a hypothesis.

Evidence for heterogeneity of the osteoblastic phenotype determined with clonal rat bone cells established from transforming growth factor-beta-induced cell colonies grown anchorage independently in semisolid medium.

Numerous reports have appeared in the literature indicating phenotypic heterogeneity among cells of the osteoblastic lineage. This diversity may be due to either certain stages of differentiation or a subspecialization of already terminally differentiated osteoblasts. To obtain answers to this question, we report on studies undertaken to clone bone cell populations from 1 day postnatal rat calvaria which express well defined differences in phenotype. To achieve this goal, we have used the soft agarose cloning technique which previously has almost exclusively been applied to clone cells of neoplastic origin. The reason for being able to employ this method is based on the fact that bone cells can be induced by transforming growth factor-beta to reversibly acquire the transformed phenotype, an event expressed by anchorage-dependent bone cells to form progressively growing colonies in soft agarose. Individual colonies, harvested from agarose, were expanded to clonal bone cell populations. Characterizing 48 cell clones by detection of osteoblastic cell markers such as alkaline phosphatase activity, PTH- and prostaglandin-E2-induced adenylate cyclase activity, osteocalcin mRNA synthesis, as well as collagen synthesis, 7 subsets of osteoblastic cell types were identified. Each subset was found to express a distinct phenotype, indicated by the absence or presence of osteoblastic cell markers. Some clones, previously found not to exhibit any osteoblastic traits, developed PTH responsiveness when treated with insulin-like growth factor-I/transforming growth factor-beta, suggesting that these clones may originate from the osteoprogenitor cell pool. While most clonal cell populations were characterized as fully functional osteoblastic cells, some clones expressed merely 1, 2, or 3 osteoblastic markers, which suggests that they may represent stages of differentiation along the osteogenic pathway. In addition, other subclones displayed the capacity to synthesize osteocalcin and showed PTH and prostaglandin-E2 responsiveness, but were found to be devoid of alkaline phosphatase activity. Others expressed all osteoblastic cell markers except PTH responsiveness. The phenotypic constellation of the latter suggests that these cell clones may represent mature osteoblast-like cells, which, perhaps due to environmental circumstances present at the time of isolation, have become altered in accordance with the physiological requirements of the tissue.

Short- and long-term effects of a single dose of bisphosphonates on retinoid-induced bone resorption in thyroparathyroidectomized rats.

The inhibitory effect of a single subcutaneous (s.c.) dose of three different bisphosphonates (Bps)--4-amino-1-hydroxybutylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate (AHBuBP), 2-(2-pyridinyl)-ethylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate (2-PEBP), and dichloromethylene-bisphosphonate (Cl2MBP)--was studied in a model of retinoid-induced bone resorption, which consists of assessing the hypercalcemic effect of the arotinoid Ro 13-6298 given s.c. for three days in thyroparathyroidectomized (TPTX) rats. The retinoid was given on day 0, 1, and 2. Bps were administered together with or at different times prior to the first dose of retinoid. A dose-dependent inhibition was obtained with all three compounds. AHBuBP produced complete inhibition which remained for 3 weeks at 0.1 mg P/kg. The dose-response curves were identical when the compound was given on the first day of retinoid administration (day 0) or 6 days earlier. With 2-PEBP, the dose-response curve was the same as that for AHBuBP when given on day 0. When given 6 days earlier, the curve was shifted to 30 times less potency. Cl2MBP was about 100 times less potent than AHBuBP when given on day 0, with 3 mg P/kg producing complete inhibition. When given 6 days earlier, the curve was also shifted to 10 times less potency, and even 30 mg P/kg failed to produce complete inhibition. With 10 mg P/kg, the inhibitory effect was maintained partially for up to 3 weeks. This study shows that in this model of bone resorption the inhibitory effect of a single dose of certain Bps is effective for at least 3 weeks and that the compounds vary in their activity over time.

Hypercalcemia induced with an arotinoid in thyroparathyroidectomized rats. New model to study bone resorption in vivo.

A model of stimulated bone resorption was developed using a synthetic retinoid in thyroparathyroidectomized rats. The retinoid induced an increase in bone resorption and in the number of vertebral subperiosteal osteoclasts. The resulting increase in plasma Ca could be used as an easily measured index of bone resorption. Three bisphosphonates produced a dose-related prevention and reversal of retinoid-induced hypercalcemia. Their potencies were similar to those previously obtained by histomorphometry. Irradiation (600 rad) of the rats prevented hypercalcemia but failed to reverse it, showing that proliferation of osteoclast precursor cells was important in inducing, but not in maintaining, bone resorption. Calcitonin produced similar effects on calcemia and prevented the increase in osteoclast number but failed to reverse the increase, suggesting that it inhibited precursor proliferation. This model represents a new tool to study mechanisms of bone resorption and the action of inhibitors in vivo.