Since interaction between bone and lipid metabolism has been suggested, this study investigated the regulation of bone metabolism by adiponectin, a representative adipokine, by analyzing deficient and overexpressing transgenic mice. We initially confirmed that adiponectin and its receptors were expressed in osteoblastic and osteoclastic cells, indicating that adiponectin can act on bone not only through an endocrine pathway as a hormone secreted from fat tissue, but also through an autocrine/paracrine pathway. There was no abnormality in bone mass or turnover of adiponectin-deficient (Ad-/-) mice, possibly due to an equivalent balance of the two pathways. In the culture of bone marrow cells from the Ad-/- mice, osteogenesis was decreased compared to the wild-type (WT) cell culture, indicating a positive effect of endogenous adiponectin through the autocrine/paracrine pathway. To examine the endocrine action of adiponectin, we analyzed transgenic mice overexpressing adiponectin in the liver, and found no abnormality in the bone. Addition of recombinant adiponectin in cultured osteoprogenitor cells suppressed osteogenesis, suggesting that the direct action of circulating adiponectin was negative for bone formation. In the presence of insulin, however, this suppression was blunted, and adiponectin enhanced the insulin-induced phosphorylations of the main downstream molecule insulin receptor substrate-1 and Akt. These lines of results suggest three distinct adiponectin actions on bone formation: a positive action through the autocrine/paracrine pathway by locally produced adiponectin, a negative action through the direct pathway by circulating adiponectin, and a positive action through the indirect pathway by circulating adiponectin via enhancement of the insulin signaling.

Bone mass and turnover are maintained by the coordinated balance between bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts, under regulation of many systemic and local factors. Phosphoinositide-dependent serine-threonine protein kinase Akt is one of the key players in the signaling of potent bone anabolic factors. This study initially showed that the disruption of Akt1, a major Akt in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, in mice led to low-turnover osteopenia through dysfunctions of both cells. Ex vivo cell culture analyses revealed that the osteoblast dysfunction was traced to the increased susceptibility to the mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and the decreased transcriptional activity of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), a master regulator of osteoblast differentiation. Notably, our findings revealed a novel role of Akt1/forkhead box class O (FoxO) 3a/Bim axis in the apoptosis of osteoblasts: Akt1 phosphorylates the transcription factor FoxO3a to prevent its nuclear localization, leading to impaired transactivation of its target gene Bim which was also shown to be a potent proapoptotic molecule in osteoblasts. The osteoclast dysfunction was attributed to the cell autonomous defects of differentiation and survival in osteoclasts and the decreased expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), a major determinant of osteoclastogenesis, in osteoblasts. Akt1 was established as a crucial regulator of osteoblasts and osteoclasts by promoting their differentiation and survival to maintain bone mass and turnover. The molecular network found in this study will provide a basis for rational therapeutic targets for bone disorders.

cGMP-dependent protein kinase II (cGKII; encoded by PRKG2) is a serine/threonine kinase that is critical for skeletal growth in mammals; in mice, cGKII deficiency results in dwarfism. Using radiographic analysis, we determined that this growth defect was a consequence of an elongated growth plate and impaired chondrocyte hypertrophy. To investigate the mechanism of cGKII-mediated chondrocyte hypertrophy, we performed a kinase substrate array and identified glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β; encoded by Gsk3b) as a principal phosphorylation target of cGKII. In cultured mouse chondrocytes, phosphorylation-mediated inhibition of GSK-3β was associated with enhanced hypertrophic differentiation. Furthermore, cGKII induction of chondrocyte hypertrophy was suppressed by cotransfection with a phosphorylation-deficient mutant of GSK-3β. Analyses of mice with compound deficiencies in both protein kinases (Prkg2 -/-Gsk3b +/-) demonstrated that the growth retardation and elongated growth plate associated with cGKII deficiency were partially rescued by haploinsufficiency of Gsk3b. We found that β-catenin levels decreased in Prkg2 -/-mice, while overexpression of cGKII increased the accumulation and transactivation function of β-catenin in mouse chondroprogenitor ATDC5 cells. This effect was blocked by coexpression of phosphorylation-deficient GSK-3β. These data indicate that hypertrophic differentiation of growth plate chondrocytes during skeletal growth is promoted by phosphorylation and inactivation of GSK-3β by cGKII.

No abstract

Bone anabolic action of PTH has been suggested to be mediated by induction of IGF-I in osteoblasts; however, little is known about the molecular mechanism by which IGF-I leads to bone formation under the PTH stimulation. This study initially confirmed in mouse osteoblast cultures that PTH treatment increased IGF-I mRNA and protein levels and alkaline phosphatase activity, which were accompanied by phosphorylations of IGF-I receptor, insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 and IRS-2, essential adaptor molecules for the IGF-I signaling. To learn the involvement of IRS-1 and IRS-2 in the bone anabolic action of PTH in vivo, IRS-1-/- and IRS-2-/- mice and their respective wild-type littermates were given daily injections of PTH (80 mug/kg) or vehicle for 4 wk. In the wild-type mice, the PTH injection increased bone mineral densities of the femur, tibia, and vertebrae by 10-20% without altering the serum IGF-I level. These stimulations were similarly seen in IRS-2-/- mice; however, they were markedly suppressed in IRS-1-/- mice. Although the PTH anabolic effects were stronger on trabecular bones than on cortical bones, the stimulations on both bones were blocked in IRS-1-/- mice but not in IRS-2-/- mice. Histomorphometric and biochemical analyses showed an increased bone turnover by PTH, which was also blunted by the IRS-1 deficiency, though not by the IRS-2 deficiency. These results indicate that the PTH bone anabolic action is mediated by the activation of IRS-1, but not IRS-2, as a downstream signaling of IGF-I that acts locally as an autocrine/paracrine factor.