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We have previously shown that the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) can activate expression of Runx2-dependent, bone-specific genes in cultured cells. We now show that pRb also plays a role early in osteogenesis, and that in primary RB1 ؊/؊ calvarial cells there is an increased osteoprogenitor pool. To understand pRb's function in vivo, we generated a conditional RB1-KO mouse in which pRb expression is efficiently extinguished in osteoblasts. These animals display an apparent developmental defect in bones, most strikingly in the calvaria. Cultured RB1 ؊/؊ calvarial osteoblasts fail to cease proliferation upon reaching confluence or following differentiation. Re-plating assays of primary RB1 ؊/؊ calvarial cells after differentiation showed a clear adipogenic ability with increased multipotency. RB1 ؊/؊ osteoblasts display a severe reduction in levels of mRNAs expressed late in differentiation. In this study, we present strong evidence that pRb has multiple regulatory roles in osteogenesis. Furthermore, in the absence of RB1 ؊/؊ there is a larger pool of multipotent cells compared with the WT counterpart. This increased pool of osteoprogenitor cells may be susceptible to additional transforming events leading to osteosarcoma, and is therefore key to understanding RB1 as a target in malignancy.differentiation ͉ retinoblastoma protein ͉ osteoprogenitors

Drosophila genetic studies suggest that in the Wingless (Wg) signaling pathway, the segment polarity gene products, Dishevelled (Dsh), Zeste-white 3 (ZW-3), and Armadillo (Arm), work sequentially; wg and dsh negatively regulate zw-3, which in turn down-regulates arm. To biochemically analyze interactions between the Wg pathway and Drosophila E-cadherin (DE-cadherin) which bind to Arm, we overexpressed Dsh, ZW-3, and Arm, in the Drosophila wing disc cell line, clone 8, which responds to Wg signal. Dsh overexpression led to accumulation of Arm primarily in the cytosol and elevation of DE-cadherin at cell junctions. Overexpression of wildtype and dominant-negative forms of ZW-3 decreased and increased Arm levels, respectively, indicating that modulation in zw-3 activity negatively regulates Arm levels. Overexpression of an Arm mutant with an aminoterminal deletion elevated DE-cadherin levels, suggesting that Dsh-induced DE-cadherin elevation is caused by the Arm accumulation induced by Dsh. Moreover, the Dsh-, dominant-negative ZW-3-, and truncated Arm-induced accumulation of DE-cadherin protein was accompanied by a marked increase in the steady-state levels of DE-cadherin mRNA, suggesting that transcription of DE-cadherin is activated by Wg signaling. In addition, overexpression of DE-cadherin elevated Arm levels by stabilizing Arm at cell-cell junctions.

Regulation of Armadillo (Arm) protein levels through ubiquitin-mediated degradation plays a central role in the Wingless (Wg) signaling. Although zeste-white3 (Zw3)-mediated Arm phosphorylation has been implicated in its degradation, we have recently shown that casein kinase I␣ (CKI␣) also phosphorylates Arm and induces its degradation. However, it remains unclear how CKI␣ and Zw3, as well as other components of the Arm degradation complex, regulate Arm phosphorylation in response to Wg. In particular, whether Wg signaling suppresses CKI␣-or Zw3-mediated Arm phosphorylaytion in vivo is unknown. To clarify these issues, we performed a series of RNA interference (RNAi)-based analyses in Drosophila S2R؉ cells by using antibodies that specifically recognize Arm phosphorylated at different serine residues. These analyses revealed that Arm phosphorylation at serine-56 and at threonine-52, serine-48, and serine-44, is mediated by CKI␣ and Zw3, respectively, and that Zw3-directed Arm phosphorylation requires CKI␣-mediated priming phosphorylation. Daxin stimulates Zw3-but not CKI␣-mediated Arm phosphorylation. Wg suppresses Zw3-but not CKI␣-mediated Arm phosphorylation, indicating that a vital regulatory step in Wg signaling is Zw3-mediated Arm phosphorylation. In addition, further RNAi-based analyses of the other aspects of the Wg pathway clarified that Wg-induced Dishevelled phosphoylation is due to CKI␣ and that presenilin and protein kinase A play little part in the regulation of Arm protein levels in Drosophila tissue culture cells.