calpain and Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a major health problem in postmenopausal women and the elderly that leads to fractures associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Current osteoporosis therapies have significant drawbacks, and the risk of fragility fractures has not yet been eliminated. There remains an unmet need for a broader range of therapeutics. Previous studies have shown that YC-1 has important regulatory functions in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Many of the YC-1 effector molecules in platelets, smooth muscle cells and neurons, such as cGMP and μ-calpain, also have important functions in osteoclasts. In this study, we explored the effects of YC-1 on bone remodeling and determined the potential of YC-1 as a treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Micro-computed tomography of lumbar vertebrae showed that YC-1 significantly improved trabecular bone microarchitecture in ovariectomized rats compared with sham-operated rats. YC-1 also significantly reversed the increases in serum bone resorption and formation in these rats, as measured by enzyme immunoassays for serum CTX-1 and P1NP, respectively. Actin ring and pit formation assays and TRAP staining analysis showed that YC-1 inhibited osteoclast activity and survival. YC-1 induced extrinsic apoptosis in osteoclasts by activating caspase-3 and caspase-8. In osteoclasts, YC-1 stimulated μ-calpain activity and inhibited Src activity. Our findings provide proof-of-concept for YC-1 as a novel antiresorptive treatment strategy for postmenopausal osteoporosis, confirming an important role of nitric oxide/cGMP/protein kinase G signaling in bone.

Topics: Actins; Animals; Apoptosis; Bone Density Conservation Agents; Bone Resorption; Calpain; Cell Survival; Female; Humans; Indazoles; Lumbar Vertebrae; Osteoblasts; Osteoclasts; Osteoporosis; Ovariectomy; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Signal Transduction; src-Family Kinases; X-Ray Microtomography

The receptor for parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related peptide (PTH1R) belongs to the class II G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. The calpain small subunit encoded by the gene Capns1 is the second protein and the first enzyme identified by a yeast two-hybrid screen using the intracellular C-terminal tail of the rat PTH1R. The calpain regulatory small subunit forms a heterodimer with the calpain large catalytic subunit and modulates various cellular functions as a cysteine protease. To investigate a physiological role of the calpain small subunit in cells of the osteoblast lineage, we generated osteoblast-specific Capns1 knockout mouse models and characterized their bone phenotype. Molecular mechanisms by which calpain modulates cell proliferation of the osteoblast lineage were further examined in vitro. Moreover, we utilized the mutant mice as a disease model of osteoporosis accompanied with impaired bone resorptive function and suggested a possible clinical translation of our basic research finding.

Topics: Animals; Bone and Bones; Bone Resorption; Calpain; Cell Lineage; Cell Proliferation; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27; Diet, High-Fat; Gene Expression Regulation; Glucose Intolerance; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Osteoblasts; Osteocalcin; Osteoporosis; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Receptor, Parathyroid Hormone, Type 1; Signal Transduction; Sp7 Transcription Factor; Transcription Factors; Weight Gain