Endocrinology Vol. 138, No. 8 3085-3092
Copyright © 1997 by The Endocrine Society
Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 134) Regulation of Rat Osteocalcin Gene Transcription
Xiao-Peng Yu and
Srinivasan Chandrasekhar
Endocrine Division, Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis,
Indiana 46285
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Srinivasan Chandrasekhar, Endocrine Research, DC0403, Lilly Research Laboratories, Corporate Center, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana 46285. E-mail: chandra{at}Lilly.com
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Abstract
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Osteocalcin (OC) is a bone-specific extracellular matrix protein
expressed by mature osteoblasts during late stages of differentiation.
Previous studies have shown that forskolin, an activator of adenylate
cyclase, stimulated OC production. Because PTH has been shown to
activate several intracellular signal transduction pathways including
cAMP, inositol phosphate and intracellular calcium mobilization, we
investigated whether PTH action on cAMP accumulation leads to OC
promoter activation. The rat OC promoter (1095 bp) was cloned into the
promoterless luciferase gene reporter vector. The transcriptional
activity of the rat OC promoter was evaluated after transfection of
SaOS-2, an osteosarcoma cell line, with the OC promoter followed by
treatment with PTH. Maximal OC promoter activity was observed within
48 h after the addition of 10-8 M PTH,
whereas very little induction was seen after 24 and 48 h of
treatment. The induction of OC promoter activity by PTH was
concentration dependent. PTH analogs (PTH 184, PTH 134, and PTH
131) that stimulate intracellular cAMP accumulation, induced OC
promoter activity, whereas other PTH analogs (PTH 334, PTH 734, PTH
1334, and PTH 5384) that do not stimulate cAMP production had no
effect on OC promoter activation. Furthermore, PTH activation of the OC
promoter was significantly enhanced in the presence of
3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor.
Inactivation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A activity by either a
selective protein kinase A inhibitor, H-89
(N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5
isoquinolinesulfonamide), or antisense oligonucleotide directed against
the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A, led to a
corresponding loss of OC promoter activation by PTH. 5' deletion
analysis of the OC promoter demonstrated that the promoter (1095 bp)
exhibited the greatest response to PTH, whereas the -198 bp construct
of the OC promoter, containing only one cAMP response element and OC
box, was no longer responsive. The constructs with further deletions
(-120, -92, and -74) retained PTH responsiveness, but to a lesser
extent. In summary, our results indicate that PTH activation of the OC
promoter is a rapid event and mediated by the cAMP-dependent protein
kinase A pathway. Although the novel cAMP response region overlapping
the OC box is required for activation, full activation may require
several cis-acting cAMP response elements or other
response elements.
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Introduction
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OSTEOCALCIN (OC) is the most abundant
noncollagenous protein of bone extracellular matrix. It is synthesized
almost exclusively by mature osteoblasts during the onset of
extracellular matrix mineralization. However, the precise function of
OC in regulating osteoblast function, mineral deposition, and matrix
organization is unknown. Several physiological mediators of osteoblast
function have been shown to influence the expression of the OC gene.
The OC gene has been cloned from rat, mouse, and human (1, 2, 3). Both rat
and mouse OC genes exist as clusters of related genes (4), although
only two of three mouse OC related genes are expressed in bone (2). The
rat and human promoters (1.8 kb and 3.9 kb, respectively) appear to
contain the necessary information to direct tissue specific expression
of the OC gene (5, 6). Several cis-acting regions including
the response elements for vitamin D3, estrogen,
glucocorticoids, and cAMP, as well as the binding regions for activator
protein (AP)-1 and AP-2 that are putative sites of interactions with
general and bone-specific factors have been identified within the OC
promoter (7, 8, 9, 10).
Bone formation is a critical feature during development and in
remodeling associated with fracture and diseases of bone, such as
osteoporosis and Pagets disease. PTH, a calcium-regulating hormone,
enhances bone formation when administered intermittently to
experimental animals and humans (11, 12, 13, 14, 15). Although the exact mechanism
of action of PTH in stimulating bone formation is not known, it
increases osteoprogenitor differentiation (16). PTH action on these
cells is transduced through G protein-coupled PTH/PTH-related peptide
receptors that contain seven transmembrane domains (17, 18, 19). PTH
occupation of the receptor leads to the activation of adenylate cyclase
and phospholipase C pathways that results in the accumulation of
multiple signal transducers including cAMP, inositol phosphate, a
transient increase in the intracellular calcium, and activation of
protein kinase C (20, 21, 22, 23, 24). Further studies have established that
distinct domains within PTH may be associated with distinct biological
activities (25). In addition to its effects on signal transducing
factors, PTH has also been shown to increase the steady-state levels of
OC messenger RNA in a rat osteosarcoma cell line, ROS 17/2.8 cells
(26). The increased transcriptional activity of the rat OC promoter in
MC3T3 cells by forskolin (FSK) is mediated through a novel cAMP
responsive region (27). Because PTH activates multiple signal
transduction pathways, we investigated whether PTH activates the OC
gene, and whether this involves the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A
(PKA) pathway. Using transient transfection assays in which SaOS-2
cells were transfected with the rat OC promoter (1095 bp) fused with
luciferase reporter gene, we show that PTH (134) increased the rat OC
promoter activity. We also show that cAMP-dependent PKA activation is
associated with OC expression. We also demonstrate that a minimal
promoter near the OC box can be activated by PTH, but a longer promoter
(1095 bp) is required for maximal activation.
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Materials and Methods
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Reagents
Rat PTH 134, human PTH 184, PTH 5384, PTH 1334, bovine
PTH 334, and PTH 734 were obtained from Bachem Biochemicals
(Torrance, CA). Human PTH 131 was obtained from Peninsula Labs
(Bellmont, CA). For treatments, PTH was solubilized in a buffer
containing 1 mM HCl, 0.15 M NaCl, and 1 mg/ml
BSA. FSK and H-89
(N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5
isoquinolinesulfonamide) were purchased from Calbiochem (San Diego,
CA). 3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) was purchased from Sigma (St.
Louis, MO). FSK, H-89, and IBMX were solubilized in dimethylsulfoxide.
FBS was obtained from Hyclone Laboratories (Logan, UT). DMEM/F-12 (3:1)
medium, glutamine, penicillin, streptomycin, and lipofectin reagent
were purchased from Gibco/BRL Life Technologies (Gaithersburg, MD). All
other reagents were of the best grade commercially available.
Cell culture
Human osteoblastic cell line, SaOS-2, was maintained in
DMEM/F-12 (3:1) medium supplemented with 2 mM glutamine,
100 U/ml penicillin, 100 µg/ml streptomycin, and 10% FBS. The cells
have been previously shown to produce cAMP in response to PTH and FSK
(28).
Construction of rat OC promoter-luciferase reporter vector
The sequence for the rat OC promoter was obtained from the
published data (GenBank accession number M23637). The promoter was
generated by PCR, using rat genomic DNA as a template. The resulting
promoter (1095 bp) was cloned into the KpnI/XhoI
sites of the promoterless pGL-2 basic luciferase gene reporter vector
(Promega Corp., Madison, WI) in the 5' to 3' orientation. Various
deletions of the OC promoter were constructed by progressively
shortening the 5' region with fixed 3' end by PCR using ExSite
PCR-based site-directed mutagenesis kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA). All
constructs were subsequently sequenced to verify insert identity.
Transfection and luciferase assay
SaOS-2 cells grown to about 60% confluence were transfected
with the OC promoter constructs, using the standard calcium phosphate
coprecipitation technique, followed by a 15% glycerol shock for 2 min.
After an overnight recovery, transfected cells were trypsinized,
pooled, and seeded in 24-well plates in DMEM/F-12 medium + 10% FBS.
After an overnight incubation, the medium was removed and fresh
DMEM/F-12 medium + 1% BSA containing either vehicle, PTH, or FSK at
the indicated concentrations was added. In the experiment using H-89,
transfected cells were pretreated with 10-5 M
H-89 in DMEM/F-12 + 0.1% BSA for 1 h. The inhibitor was also
included during treatments with PTH or FSK. After treatment with PTH or
FSK for the indicated time, cells were lysed in lysis buffer (100
mM KPO4, pH 7.8, 1 mM
dithiothreitol and 0.2% Triton X-100). Aliquots of lysate were assayed
for luciferase activity in the presence of luciferin (0.2
mM) and luciferase assay buffer (15 mM tricine,
pH 7.8, 15 mM MgSO4, 5 mM
dithiothreitol and 1.5 mM ATP) using a ML 3000 automated
injection Luminometer (Dynatech Labs., Chantilly, VA). To control for
transfection efficiency within 5'-deletion constructs of the OC
promoter (Figs. 8
and 9
), SaOS-2 cells were cotransfected with
pSV-ß-galactosidase control vector (Promega Corp.). ß-Galactosidase
activity was determined in the cell lysates using Galacto-Light Plus
system (Tropix, Bedford, MA). Protein concentrations of lysates were
measured with the Bradford method (Bio-Rad, Richmond, CA). Luciferase
activity of lysates was normalized to the protein concentrations, and
the data from several independent experiments are presented as the
mean ± SD. Statistical significance between samples
were calculated using ANOVA and the Turkey-Kramer HSD test employing
JMP 3.1 software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC).

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Figure 8. 5'-deletion analysis of OC promoter response to
PTH or FSK. Various OC promoter constructs (named numerically according
to position of deletion relative to transcription initiation site)
directing expression of an luciferase reporter gene were cotransfected
with pSV-ß-galactosidase vector into SaOS-2 cells, treated with
10-8 M PTH (A) or 10-5
M FSK (B) for 8 h, then harvested and assayed for
luciferase activity, galactosidase activity, and protein concentration.
Transfection efficiency between various 5'-deletion constructs were
monitored. Results are average of two independent experiments (n =
4) ± SD and are expressed as fold increase of OC promoter
activity vs. their control. 1, Significantly different
from control; 2, significantly different from PTH or FSK treated -1095
OC promoter. All values are significant at P <
0.005.
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Figure 9. Effect of PTH analogs on 5'-deleted OC promoter
constructs. SaOS-2 cells transfected with various 5'-deleted OC
promoter constructs and treated with a series of 10-8
M PTH analogs, including PTH 134, PTH 131, PTH 334,
and PTH 5384 for 8 h. At end of incubation, cells were harvested
and assayed for luciferase activity and protein concentration. Results
are average of triplicate ± SD and are plotted as
fold increase (n = 3 ± SD) of OC promoter
activity vs. control. *, Significantly different from
respective controls (P < 0.005).
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Antisense oligonucleotide treatment
Antisense oligonucleotide (5'-GCG-TGC-CTC-CTC-ACT-GGC-3') and
sense oligonucleotide (5'-GCC-AGT-GAG-GAG-GCA-CGC-3') were derived from
the complementary DNA sequences encoding amino terminus 813 codons of
the human PKA regulatory subunit (29). SaOS-2 cells transfected with
the OC promoter were further incubated with or without phosphorothioate
oligonucleotides in the presence of lipofectin reagent (30) for 36
h, followed by treatment with PTH or FSK for 8 h. The luciferase
activity and protein concentrations were quantitated as described.
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Results
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Time course of transcriptional activation of rat OC promoter by PTH
in transfected SaOS-2 cells
The effect of PTH 134 on OC transcription was evaluated in
SaOS-2 cells transfected with the rat OC promoter (1095 bp) fused to
the luciferase reporter gene. The transfected cells were treated with
PTH 134 (10-8 M) for various time intervals
(1, 2, 4, 8, 24, and 48 h), and the OC promoter activity was
evaluated by assaying for luciferase activity. As illustrated in Fig. 1
, measurable activation of the OC promoter activity
(significance at P < 0.005) was observed at 2 h
after PTH addition, with maximal induction occurring between 48 h
after the addition of PTH, whereas very little induction was seen after
24 h of treatment. For subsequent experiments, the OC promoter
activation was determined after a 8 h treatment with PTH or
FSK.

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Figure 1. Time course of PTH induction of OC promoter
activity. SaOS-2 cells transfected with rat OC promoter-luciferase
reporter vector (1095 OC Luc) were incubated with or without
10-8 M PTH for up to 48 h. At various
time points, cells were washed with PBS and lysed in lysis buffer.
Aliquots of lysate for each time point were used to determine
luciferase activity and protein concentration. Cells treated with
vehicle served as controls. Results are mean ± SD of
three independent experiments (n = 9) and are expressed as fold
increase of OC promoter activity in comparison with control.
Luminescence light units per microgram protein at different time point
upon activation are in the range of 0.37 (at 48 h) to 26.8 (at
4 h), whereas that of controls varied from 0.352.25. Fold
increase was calculated using corresponding controls. 1, Significantly
different from corresponding controls; 2, significantly different from
1-h treatment; 3, significantly different from 2-h treatment. All
values were significant at P < 0.005.
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Concentration-dependent activation of OC promoter
We next evaluated the effects of various concentrations of PTH
134 (10-11 M to 10-7
M) on the induction of the rat OC promoter activity. For
comparison, FSK, a known stimulator of the OC promoter (27), was also
tested at various concentrations (10-9 M to
10-5 M). As shown in Fig. 2
, both PTH and FSK exhibited a concentration-dependent induction of OC
promoter activity. PTH activation of OC promoter was detectable at
10-10 M, with maximal activation occurring
at 10-9 M. FSK was effective at
10-6 M, with a sharp further increase at
10-5 M. At the latter concentration of FSK,
the relative promoter activity was approximately 3-fold greater than
that observed for the peak activity obtained with PTH. We also
evaluated whether the effects of these two agents on the OC promoter
activity was additive or synergistic by testing a saturable
concentration of PTH (10-8 M) and the highest
tolerable concentration of FSK (10-5 M). The
results suggest that the effects are synergistic (Fig. 3
). As shown in Fig. 3
, the pGL-2 control vector that
contains the luciferase gene driven by the SV 40 promoter was not
significantly stimulated by either PTH or FSK or their combination.

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Figure 2. Concentration-dependent activation of OC promoter
activity by PTH and FSK. Following transfection of rat OC
promoter-luciferase reporter vector into SaOS-2 cells, various
concentrations of PTH (134) and FSK were added, and incubation was
carried out for 8 h. At end of incubation, cells were harvested
and assayed for luciferase activity and protein concentration. Results
are mean ± SD from two independent experiments
(n = 6) and are plotted as relative luminescence light units. *,
Indicates statistical significance from controls at
P < 0.005.
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Figure 3. Effect of PTH + FSK on OC promoter activity.
SV40-luciferase vector (SV 40 Luc) and rat OC promoter-luciferase
vector-transfected SaOS-2 cells were incubated for 8 h with
10-8 M PTH or 10-5 M
FSK alone or in combination. At end of incubation, cells were harvested
and assayed for luciferase activity and protein concentration. Results
are mean ± SD of two independent experiments (n
= 4) and are expressed as fold increase of OC promoter activity
vs. control. Luminescence units per microgram protein
are in the range of 0.2 (control) to 33.3 (PTH + FSK). 1, Significantly
different from control; 2, significantly different from PTH; 3,
significantly different from FSK or PTH. All values were significant at
P < 0.005.
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Effect of PTH analogs on OC promoter activation
Because various domains of the PTH molecule have been demonstrated
to exhibit distinct biological activities that are related to specific
intracellular signals (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25), we next evaluated whether the OC
promoter activation is dependent on one or more of these pathways.
Cells were treated with various analogs of PTH for 8 h and assayed
for the OC promoter induction. As shown in Fig. 4
, only
those analogs capable of elevating intracellular cAMP levels (PTH
131, PTH 134, and PTH 184) elicited a concentration-dependent OC
promoter response. Conversely, other analogs of PTH that do not elevate
cAMP levels (PTH 334, PTH 734, PTH 1334, and PTH 5384) failed
to stimulate OC promoter activation.

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Figure 4. Effect of PTH analogs on OC promoter activity.
Transfected SaOS-2 cells were incubated with a series of
10-8 M PTH analogs for 8 h. Results are
plotted as relative luminescence light units and are the average of
triplicate values from a representative experiment. Values are
mean ± SD. *, Significantly different from control
(P < 0.005).
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IBMX enhances PTH activation of OC promoter
To investigate further whether cAMP accumulation leads to
enhanced transcriptional activation of the rat OC promoter, we next
evaluated the effects of PTH on OC activation in the presence of IBMX,
a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. This was tested at a constant
concentration of PTH (10-8 M) and at two
concentrations of IBMX (50 or 500 µM). IBMX demonstrated
a concentration-dependent effect on OC activation (Fig. 5
). IBMX alone at 50 µM was only minimally
effective (1.8-fold induction), whereas at a higher concentration (500
µM), a strong activation was observed (35-fold
induction). At either concentration of IBMX, PTH effect was much
stronger. PTH (10-8 M) caused a 7-fold
activation of OC promoter, and PTH + IBMX resulted in either a 33-fold
(50 µM) or 75-fold (500 µM) induction of
OC. Thus, conditions that enhanced cAMP accumulation (IBMX) also
resulted in a corresponding increase in the OC promoter activation.

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Figure 5. Synergistic effects of PTH and IBMX on OC promoter
activity. Transfected SaOS-2 cells were incubated with IBMX (50
µM or 500 µM), PTH (10-8
M), or in combination for 8 h. Results are
average ± SD of two independent experiments (n =
6), and are expressed as fold increase of induced OC promoter activity
(n = 6 ± SD) vs. control.
Luminescence light units per microgram protein are in the range of 0.3
(control) to 25 (IBMX 500 µM + PTH). 1, Significantly
different from corresponding controls; 2, significantly different from
PTH alone; 3, significantly different from PTH + IBMX (50
µM) or IBMX (500 µM). All values were
significant at P < 0.005.
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cAMP-dependent PKA activation is required for OC promoter
activation
To further demonstrate that PKA activation is a critical step in
OC induction by PTH, we next asked whether direct inactivation of PKA
would lead to a lack of OC activation. PKA inactivation was
accomplished by either pretreating cells with H-89, a known inhibitor
of PKA (31), or by pretreating cells with antisense oligonucleotides
against PKA. In the first experiment, cells were pretreated with H-89
(10-5 M) for 1 h and then subsequently
treated with PTH for 8 h in the presence of H-89
(10-5 M). The results show that H-89 treatment
reduced the response to PTH (Fig. 6
).

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Figure 6. Effect of PKA inhibitor on PTH induction of OC
promoter activity. Transfected SaOS-2 cells were pretreated with PKA
inhibitor, H-89 (10-5 M), for 1 h in
0.1% BSA medium followed by addition of 10-8
M PTH for 8 h. Results are average of two independent
experiments (n = 6) and are expressed as relative luminescence
units (n = 4 ± SD). 1, Significantly different
from control; 2, significantly different from PTH
(P < 0.005).
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In the second experiment, the OC promoter activation was evaluated by
cotransfecting cells with an antisense oligonucleotide to the
regulatory subunit of human PKA (29). After transfection with the OC
promoter, SaOS-2 cells were pretreated with 20 µM of
either PKA antisense oligonucleotide (AS-PKA) or PKA sense
oligonucleotide (S-PKA) for 36 h, followed by an additional 8-h
treatment in the presence of either PTH or FSK. The result (Fig. 7A
) showed that OC activation by PTH or FSK was blocked
by AS-PKA but not by S-PKA. The inhibition of activation was further
confirmed by treating cells with various concentrations of AS-PKA (Fig. 7B
). From these observations, we conclude that cAMP-mediated PKA is the
key mediator of the OC promoter activation.

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Figure 7. Effect of PKA antisense oligonucleotide on PTH- or
FSK-induced OC promoter activity. A, Transfected SaOS-2 cells were
incubated in absence or presence of 20 µM PKA antisense
(AS-PKA) or PKA sense (S-PKA) oligonucleotides for 36 h followed
by an 8-h activation with PTH (10-8 M) or FSK
(10-5 M). Results are average ±
SD of two independent experiments (n = 6) and are
plotted as percentage of OC promoter activity induced by PTH or FSK in
absence of oligonucleotides. 1, Significantly different from no
oligonucleotides control; 2, significantly different from AS-PKA
treated (P < 0.005). B, Concentration-dependent
inhibition of OC promoter activity by PKA antisense oligonucleotide.
Transfected SaOS-2 cells were first treated with various concentrations
of PKA antisense (AS-PKA) oligonucleotide in presence of 10 µg/ml of
lipofectin for 36 h and then activated with PTH (10-8
M) for 8 h. Lysates were assayed for luciferase
activity and protein concentration. Results are plotted as percentage
(n = 3 ± SD) of rat OC promoter activity induced
by PTH in absence of oligonucleotide. 1, Significantly different from
no oligonucleotide control; 2, significantly different from 1
µM (P < 0.005).
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5'-deletion analysis of PTH responsive region of rat OC
promoter
The 5'-flanking region of the rat OC gene contains a series of
cis-acting elements that regulate the transcription of the
OC gene (7, 8, 9, 10). These include AP-1, AP-2, vitamin D3,
glucocorticoid response element, and multiple cAMP response
elements (CREs). Because FSK action on OC was mediated at least in part
through the novel cAMP response region overlapping the OC box (27), we
next evaluated whether this region is critical in the PTH activation of
OC gene. Various 5' deleted sequences of rat OC promoter were
constructed and tested for response to either PTH or FSK. As shown in
Fig. 8
, the 1095-bp OC promoter showed the greatest
response to PTH and FSK, whereas the -198 bp construct of the OC
promoter (5' in relation to transcription initiation site), containing
only one CRE and the OC box, was no longer responsive to PTH and FSK.
Constructs with further deletion, (-120, -92, and -74), regained PTH
responsiveness, although the response was much less in comparison with
the 1095-bp OC promoter. These observations are also true for FSK. The
results suggest that 5' deletion of the OC promoter (other than -198
construct) still allowed for PTH responsiveness, although the longer
(1095 bp) OC promoter was required for full activity. To further
validate that these constructs were activated via the cAMP pathway,
cells transfected with various constructs were treated with various PTH
analogs. The results (Fig. 9
) confirmed that the
promoters with further deleted sequences retained the requirement for
cAMP as the mediator of activation.
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Discussion
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Bone formation occurs during early development and repair. It is a
carefully orchestrated process that requires multiple cellular
interactions. As preosteoblasts differentiate into osteoblasts, they
lay down new matrix, which subsequently becomes mineralized. This
differentiation process is associated with the expression of specific
matrix molecules. OC, a calcium binding protein, is present during late
stage differentiation and in mineralized bone matrix. Although the
exact role of OC in bone matrix mineralization is not known, it has
been considered a marker for fully differentiated osteoblasts because
of its unique expression pattern (32). Because PTH has an anabolic
effect on bone formation by stimulating osteoblast differentiation, we
investigated PTH-regulated rat OC promoter activation. The major
findings of this study were 1) PTH caused a transcriptional activation
of the OC promoter; 2) only those fragments of PTH that are known to
induce cAMP accumulation were able to induce activation of the OC
promoter; 3) inactivation of PKA either by a selective PKA inhibitor,
H-89 or by antisense oligonucleotide to PKA resulted in the loss of OC
activation by PTH; and 4) the novel cAMP response region overlapping
the OC box was responsive to PTH, but full activation required the
longer promoter (1095 bp). These results suggest that PTH activation of
the OC promoter may involve cAMP-dependent PKA activation, and that the
previously identified novel cAMP response region overlapping the OC box
may at least in part play a role in mediating PTH effects.
The transcriptional activation of the rat OC promoter was evaluated by
a transient transfection assay. A 1095-bp fragment of the OC promoter,
which has been previously described to contain multiple
cis-acting regions and also contains regions that direct the
cell-specific expression of the OC gene, was fused with a luciferase
reporter gene. This construct was transfected into SaOS-2 cells, and
luciferase activity was quantitated as a measure of transcriptional
activation of OC gene. The OC promoter activity obtained in response to
FSK in SaOS-2 cells was much higher in our studies (15- to 30-fold or
even greater) compared with other studies (3- to 5-fold) that used
MC3T3 cells (27). This may be due to differences in species (human
vs. mouse) or differences in the stage of differentiation.
In experiments not reported here, we also evaluated OC transcription in
ROS17/2.8 cells, a cell line that is generally considered to be more
fully differentiated than SaOS-2 cells. In ROS17/2.8 cells, the basal
transcriptional activity was much higher than in SaOS-2 cells, but the
PTH activation was only about 1.5-fold (our unpublished observation).
An interpretation of these studies is that basal activation is most
likely to be dependent on the stage of differentiation of the cells,
whereas PTH responsiveness may depend on whether or not a given cell
exhibits PTH receptor. In addition, the duration of treatment with the
activators was different in these studies. Our time course studies
(Fig. 1
) suggest that the maximal promoter activation occurred between
48 h, whereas only modest or no activity was detectable at 2448 h.
In a majority of the previously reported studies, the activation of OC
promoter was evaluated only after 2448 h of treatment with FSK or
vitamin D3, and this may account for differences in fold
activation (27, 9, 33). The loss of activity at 2448 h in the
presence of PTH may be due to an unique activity of PTH. These in
vitro effects of PTH may be analogous to the reported in
vivo effects on bone formation, which is stimulated upon
intermittent administration, whereas continuous administration resulted
in resorption (34, 35, 36). It is thus possible that PTH may display
time-dependent differential effects on OC activation in
vitro.
PTH activates a variety of intracellular signal transduction pathways
that lead to generation of second messengers including cAMP, inositol
phosphate, and intracellular calcium (20, 21, 22, 23, 24). Our studies suggest that
the OC promoter activation by PTH is mediated primarily by the
cAMP-dependent PKA pathway for the following reasons. 1) Only those
analogs of PTH that activate PKA (PTH 134, 184, and 131) were
able to stimulate OC transcription. Although PTH 134 and PTH 184
have full spectrum of activity, PTH 131 activates only PKA with no
demonstrable effects on protein kinase C (PKC) or phospholipase C (PLC)
(37). In contrast, N-terminally truncated PTH analogs (PTH 334,
734, 1334, and 5384) were ineffective in activating the OC
promoter. These analogs activate PKC, but not adenylate cyclase (38, 39). 2) IBMX, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor that enhances cAMP
accumulation by reducing its degradation, enhances PTH effects. 3)
Inactivation of PKA with H-89, a selective inhibitor of PKA, or an
antisense oligonucleotide directed against the regulatory subunit of
PKA, reduced PTH-stimulated OC activation. These results collectively
establish that cAMP- dependent PKA activation is the critical mechanism
of OC activation by PTH.
The significance of the synergistic effects of FSK on PTH (Fig. 3
) is
not clear. In these studies, we have used a saturable concentration of
PTH, but only a maximum tolerated concentration of FSK. The major
mechanism of action of FSK is through adenylate cyclase pathway, but
cAMP-independent mechanisms have also been recognized (40). Because PTH
activates other pathways (PKC and PLC), it is conceivable that
synergistic OC activation may be the result of other pathways that are
not sufficiently active when treated with PTH or FSK alone. Similar
potentiation of PTH activation has been recently observed for FSK in
other systems (41, 42). In SaOS-2 cells, pretreatment with PTH resulted
in a large increase in cAMP accumulation upon subsequent exposure to
FSK (41, 42), which is consistent with the results presented here (Fig 3
). Additionally, FSK treatment could result in higher PTH receptor
numbers, resulting in greater response to PTH.
Previous studies using FSK and MC3T3 cells, have identified a novel
cAMP response region overlapping the OC box of the rat OC promoter that
was necessary and sufficient for FSK activation (27). We used similar
approach to evaluate the effects of PTH. Starting with 1095 bp of the
rat OC promoter, by 5'-deletion analysis, we found that the longer
promoter (1095 bp) gave the greatest response to PTH and FSK. The
-198-bp deletion construct containing only one CRE and the OC box,
which was found to be active in MC3T3 cells (27), was not active in
SaOS-2 cells (Figs. 8
and 9
) and was not responsive to PTH or FSK.
However, with further deletion of the rat OC promoter to -120, -92,
and -74, response to PTH and FSK was regained, although to a lesser
extent than the longer promoter (1095 bp). These deletion constructs
(-120, -92, -74) displayed their dependence on cAMP production,
because only those PTH analogs that stimulate cAMP production activated
these constructs (Fig. 9
). The reason for the loss and apparent
reappearance of PTH-responsiveness is not understood. In contrast to
the previous reports, it is clear that the longer promoter (1095 bp) is
more strongly active than any other deletion constructs. This may
indicate potential interactions between several cis-acting
elements including vitamin D3, glucocorticoid response
elements, and AP-1 sites. In the rat promoter, there are at least three
putative cAMP response elements, and all may be required for full
activation. Another interpretation in the loss of activation of -198
construct and reappearance in the -120 construct might suggest a
repressor element between -198 to -120 that might inhibit the
response to PTH.
The role of osteocalcin in bone differentiation and matrix formation is
not known. Although the association of the protein expression during
late stage mineralization is well documented, what function if any, the
protein may play is only speculative. A recent study of
osteocalcin-deficient mice has demonstrated an increased bone mineral
density in these animals, with no apparent alterations in
mineralization or rate of resorption (43). This led to a provocative
hypothesis that osteocalcin may be an inhibitor of bone formation. It
is possible that OC expression may be the termination signal for the
anabolic response. Although OC expression in cultures is not manifested
until at least after 23 weeks in vitro, in vivo
studies have suggested that PTH can induce serum osteocalcin levels
within 3 days of treatment (Chandrasekhar, Harvey, and Hock,
unpublished observation). This would imply that PTH effects on OC may
be a relatively early event and may influence osteoprogenitor
differentiation and function both directly and indirectly. The
consequence of such induction is not clear. When the cells become fully
mature, OC may signal the beginning of terminal differentiation.
 |
Acknowledgments
|
|---|
The authors acknowledge Drs. Jude Onyia, Na Yang, Steven
Zuckerman, and Anita Harvey for critical evaluation of the
manuscript and for helpful discussions throughout the study.
Received January 14, 1997.
 |
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