It has been reported that PTH exerts bone-forming effects in vivo when administered intermittently. In the present study, the anabolic effects of PTH(1-34) on osteoblast differentiation were examined in vitro. Osteoblastic cells isolated from newborn rat calvaria were cyclically treated with PTH (

The effects of natriuretic peptides on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast-like cells from rat calvariae were examined. Natriuretic peptides are physiological agonists that activate receptor guanylate cyclases, namely, natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-A and NPR-B. Exposure of cells to atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) resulted in large increases in the rate of intracellular production of guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP). Moreover, CNP-like immunoreactivity was detected in the conditioned medium from osteoblast-like cells, while ANP was undetectable. In cells exposed to natriuretic peptides, a dose-dependent reduction in the rate of DNA synthesis was observed. Natriuretic peptides also stimulated the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) and the expression of mRNA for ALPase and osteocalcin and the mineralization of nodules by the cultured cells. These results could be reproduced by treating cells with 8-bromo-cGMP. Endothelin-1, whose physiological functions are the opposite of those of natriuretic peptides, decreased the ALPase activity and the mineralization of nodules. In the present study, natriuretic peptides were demonstrated to promote bone formation via the action of cGMP in a signal-transduction pathway mediated by specific receptors in osteoblast-like cells.

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To establish a cell culture system that reflects the dentin formation in dental pulp tissue, we used dental pulp cells enzymatically isolated from rat incisor teeth. During the 20-day culture period, the cells exhibited various phenotypes of the odontoblast differentiation process, from the immature stage to the terminal mineralization stage. The cells began to form the mineralized nodules from day 10, and the nodules became larger by day 20. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-positive cells surrounded the mineralized nodules. The ALP activity in the cell layers was maximal on day 5, and gradually decreased to day 20. The calcium content in the cell layers was very low by day 10, and significantly increased from day 15. Sulfated glycosamino-glycans (GAGs) contained in the cell layers increased by day 15, but the content then decreased by day 20. The dental pulp cells produced a small amount of osteocalcin that was released into the culture medium by day 10, and the amount secreted increased markedly from day 15. The expression of osteocalcin and parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTH/PTHrP) receptor mRNA was evident as early as day 5, and the expression of each gradually increased with the number of days in culture. Dentin matrix protein (Dmp1) mRNA gene transcripts were identified by use of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the cells throughout the culture period. The present results demonstrate that this culture system is useful for studying the differentiation process of the odontoblast-like cells.