AIB1, a member of the steroid receptor coactivator (SRC) family that participates in gene transcriptional activation by nuclear receptors and other transcription factors, is required for animal growth and reproductive development and implicated in breast carcinogenesis. The mechanisms underlying the AIB1 pleiotropic functions are not fully understood and neither is the regulation of its activity. Here, we showed that AIB1 was a sumoylated protein and the sumoylation attenuated the transactivation activity of AIB1, which is in contrast to the sumoylation of its paralogs, GRIP1 and SRC-1. The transactivation activity of AIB1 is enhanced by its phosphorylation by several kinases, including mitogen-activated protein kinase. We demonstrated in this report that estrogen treatment led to an increased phosphorylation and decreased sumoylation of AIB1 and that the sumoylation coordinated with phosphorylation in regulating the transcriptional activity of AIB1, providing a mechanism for post-translational modifications in regulating the transcriptional output of AIB1.Nuclear receptors play critical roles in animal development and homeostasis through their bimodal function as repressors or activators of gene transcription (1). The repression and activation activity of nuclear receptors are determined by their association with corepressors and coactivators, respectively. Among the coactivators, the steroid receptor coactivator (SRC) 2 family is both necessary and sufficient for nuclear receptor-mediated gene activation as we previously demonstrated (2). The SRC family of coactivators includes three distinct but related p160 members: SRC-1, GRIP1 (or SRC-2), and AIB1 (also named RAC3, ACTR, SRC-3, or p/CIP in mice) (3-6). They share 40% overall sequence similarity, and they all contain, in the N terminus, a basic helix-loop-helix domain that is known for protein dimerization-DNA interaction as well as a Per-Arnt-Sim domain, which is known to be involved in protein-protein interaction. Three LXXLL motifs, also known as nuclear receptor boxes (for nuclear receptor binding), are centrally located in all three proteins (7-9). In the C terminus, the SRC proteins contain two activation domains, AD1 and AD2, which are associated with histone acetyltransferases (CREB-binding protein/p300 and pCAF) and coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1, respectively, and function to modify the configuration of the chromatin structure (10, 11).Despite the structural similarities among the members of the SRC family of coactivators, evidence has been accumulated to suggest different physiological functions for SRC-1, GRIP1, and AIB1. Genetic studies with gene ablation showed that, although both male and female SRC1-null mice are viable and fertile, they exhibit partial resistance to several hormones, including estrogen, progestin, androgen, and thyroid hormones (12, 13). Elimination of GRIP1 impairs fertility in both male and female mice (14), and GRIP-null mice are protected against obesity and display enhanced adaptive thermogenesis, ...

Obesity is a risk factor for thoracic ossification of ligament flavum (TOLF) that is characterized by ectopic bone formation in the spinal ligaments. Hyperleptinemia is a common feature of obese people, and leptin, an adipocyte-derived cytokine with proliferative and osteogenic effects in several cell types, is believed to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of TOLF. However, how leptin might stimulate cell osteogenic differentiation in TOLF is not totally understood. We reported here that leptin-induced osteogenic effect in TOLF cells is associated with activation of signaling molecules STAT3, JNK, and ERK1/2 but not p38. Blocking STAT3 phosphorylation with a selective inhibitor, AG490, significantly abolished leptin-induced osteogenic differentiation of TOLF cells, whereas blocking ERK1/2 and JNK phosphorylation with their selective inhibitors PD98059 and SP600125, respectively, had only marginal effects. In addition, we showed that STAT3 interacted with Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) in the nucleus, and STAT3, Runx2, and steroid receptor coactivator steroid receptor coactivator-1 were components of the transcription complex recruited on Runx2 target gene promoters in response to leptin treatment. Our experiments identified STAT3, Runx2, and steroid receptor coactivator-1 as critical molecules in mediating leptin-stimulated cell osteogenesis in TOLF. Ossification of ligament flavum (OLF)3 of the spine is characterized by a heterotopic bone formation in the ligament flavum that is normally composed of fibrous tissues (1). Ossification could enlarge the spinal canal and compresses the spinal cord, resulting in serious neurological damages. Epidemiology has shown that high incidence rate of OLF occurs in thoracic spine (2). It has been documented that obesity represents a risk factor for thoracic ossification of ligament flavum (TOLF), particularly in Asian people (3). Indeed, hereditary obese rats, Zucker fatty (fa/fa) rats, are prone to OLF (4). A common feature of obese people is hyperleptinemia (5). Leptin, an adipocyte-derived cytokine, can stimulate the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of various cell lines, such as the embryonic cell line C3H10T1/2, human NHOst cells, and human osteoblastic cells (6, 7). However, the molecular mechanism underlying the osteogenic effect of leptin in TOLF is not totally understood.Leptin exerts its biological activity through binding to its receptors, which belong to cytokine receptor superfamily. Different leptin receptor isoforms exist, including a long form (ObRb) and a short form (ObRa) (8). In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that leptin activates cytokine-like signal transduction via the long form receptor. Upon leptin stimulation, intracellular Janus tyrosine kinases are activated via transphosphorylation and phosphorylate tyrosine residues on the long form leptin receptor and on signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) proteins (9). Phosphorylated STAT proteins dimerize and translocate to the nucleus to activate ge...

The magnetic field has been proven to enhance bone tissue repair by affecting cell metabolic behavior. Magnetic nanoparticles are used as biomaterials due to their unique magnetic properties and good biocompatibility. Through endocytosis, entering the cell makes it easier to affect the physiological function of the cell. Once the magnetic particles are exposed to an external magnetic field, they will be rapidly magnetized. The magnetic particles and the magnetic field work together to enhance the effectiveness of their bone tissue repair treatment. This article reviews the common synthesis methods, the mechanism, and application of magnetic nanomaterials in the field of bone tissue repair.

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