Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase involved in the regulation of cell growth. It has been shown to play an important role in osteoclast differentiation, particularly at the earlier stages of osteoclastogenesis. mTOR activation and function, as part of mTORC1 complex, is dependent on lysosomal localization and the vacuolar H(+) -ATPase (V-ATPase) activity; however, the precise mechanism is still not well understood. Using primary mouse osteoclasts that are known to have higher lysosomal pH due to R740S mutation in the V-ATPase a3 subunit, we investigated the role of lysosomal pH in mTORC1 signaling. Our results demonstrated that +/R740S cells had increased basal mTOR protein levels and mTORC1 activity compared to +/+ osteoclasts, while mTOR gene expression was decreased. Treatment with lysosomal inhibitors chloroquine and ammonium chloride, compounds known to raise lysosomal pH, significantly increased mTOR protein levels in +/+ cells, confirming the importance of lysosomal pH in mTOR signaling. These results also suggested that mTOR could be degraded in the lysosome. To test this hypothesis, we cultured osteoclasts with chloroquine or proteasomal inhibitor MG132. Both chloroquine and MG132 increased mTOR and p-mTOR protein levels in +/+ osteoclasts, suggesting that mTOR undergoes both lysosomal and proteasomal degradation. Treatment with cycloheximide, an inhibitor of new protein synthesis, confirmed that mTOR is constitutively expressed and degraded. These results show that, in osteoclasts, the lysosome plays a key role not only in mTOR activation but also in its deactivation through protein degradation, representing a novel molecular mechanism of mTOR regulation.

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Large osteoclasts (10+ nuclei), predominant in rheumatoid arthritis and periodontal disease, have higher expression of proteases and activating receptors and also have increased resorptive activity when compared to small (2-5 nuclei) osteoclasts. We hypothesized that large and small osteoclasts activate different signaling pathways. A Signal Transduction Pathway Finder Array was used to compare gene expression of large and small osteoclasts in RAW 264.7-derived osteoclasts. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (Vegfa) was higher in large osteoclasts and this result was confirmed by RT-PCR. RT-PCR further showed that RANKL treatment of RAW cells induced Vegfa expression in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, VEGF-A secretion in conditioned media was also increased in cultures with a higher proportion of large osteoclasts. To investigate the mechanism of Vegfa induction, specific inhibitors for the transcription factors NF-kappaB, AP-1, NFATc1, and HIF-1 were used. Dimethyl bisphenol A, the HIF-1alpha inhibitor, decreased Vegfa mRNA expression, whereas blocking NF-kappaB, AP-1, and NFATc1 had no effect. Furthermore, the NF-kappaB inhibitor gliotoxin inhibited Hif1alpha mRNA expression. In conclusion, VEGF-A gene and protein expression are elevated in large osteoclasts compared to small osteoclasts and this increase is regulated by HIF-1. In turn, Hif1alpha mRNA levels are induced by RANKL-mediated activation of NF-kappaB. These findings reveal further differences in signaling between large and small osteoclasts and thereby identify novel therapeutic targets for highly resorptive osteoclasts in inflammatory bone loss.

A mouse founder with high bone mineral density and an osteopetrotic phenotype was identified in an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) screen. It was found to carry a dominant missense mutation in the Tcirg1 gene that encodes the a3 subunit of the vacuolar type H þ -ATPase (V-ATPase), resulting in replacement of a highly conserved amino acid (R740S). The þ/R740S mice have normal appearance, size, and weight but exhibit high bone density. Osteoblast parameters are unaffected in bones of þ/R740S mice, whereas osteoclast number and marker expression are increased, concomitant with a decrease in the number of apoptotic osteoclasts. Consistent with reduced osteoclast apoptosis, expression of Rankl and Bcl2 is elevated, whereas Casp3 is reduced. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that unlike other known mutations in the a3 subunit of V-ATPase, polarization and ruffled border formation appear normal in þ/R740S osteoclasts. However, V-ATPases from þ/R740S osteoclast membranes have severely reduced proton transport, whereas ATP hydrolysis is not significantly affected. We show for the first time that a point mutation within the a3 subunit, R740S, which is dominant negative for proton pumping and bone resorption, also uncouples proton pumping from ATP hydrolysis but has no effect on ruffled border formation or polarization of osteoclasts. These results suggest that the V 0 complex has proton-pumping-independent functions in mammalian cells. ß

Vacuolar Hþ -ATPase (V-ATPase), a multisubunit enzyme located at the ruffled border and in lysosomes of osteoclasts, is necessary for bone resorption. We previously showed that heterozygous mice with an R740S mutation in the a3 subunit of V-ATPase (þ/R740S) have mild osteopetrosis resulting from an $90% reduction in proton translocation across osteoclast membranes. Here we show that lysosomal pH is also higher in þ/R740S compared with wild-type (þ/þ) osteoclasts. Both osteoclast number and size were decreased in cultures of þ/R740S compared with þ/þ bone marrow cells, with concomitant decreased expression of key osteoclast markers (TRAP, cathepsin K, OSCAR, DC-STAMP, and NFATc1), suggesting that low lysosomal pH plays an important role in osteoclastogenesis. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of this inhibition, NFATc1 activation was assessed. NFATc1 nuclear translocation was significantly reduced in þ/R740S compared with þ/þ cells; however, this was not because of impaired enzymatic activity of calcineurin, the phosphatase responsible for NFATc1 dephosphorylation. Protein and RNA expression levels of regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1), an endogenous inhibitor of NFATc1 activation and a protein degraded in lysosomes, were not significantly different between þ/R740S and þ/þ osteoclasts, but the RCAN1/NFATc1 ratio was significantly higher in þ/R740S versus þ/þ cells. The lysosomal inhibitor chloroquine significantly increased RCAN1 accumulation in þ/þ cells, consistent with the hypothesis that higher lysosomal pH impairs RCAN1 degradation, leading to a higher RCAN1/NFATc1 ratio and consequently NFATc1 inhibition. Our data indicate that increased lysosomal pH in osteoclasts leads to decreased NFATc1 signaling and nuclear translocation, resulting in a cell autonomous impairment of osteoclastogenesis in vitro. ß