Endocrinology Vol. 139, No. 3 1346-1353
Copyright © 1998 by The Endocrine Society
Estrogen Regulation of a Transforming Growth Factor-ß Inducible Early Gene That Inhibits Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Human Osteoblasts1
K. R. Tau,
T. E. Hefferan,
K. M. Waters,
J. A. Robinson,
M. Subramaniam,
B. L. Riggs and
T. C. Spelsberg
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (K.R.T., T.E.H.,
K.M.W., J.A.R., M.S., T.C.S.), Department of Internal Medicine
(B.L.R.), Division of Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation,
Rochester, Minnesota 55905
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Thomas C. Spelsberg, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Guggenheim Building, Room 1601A, Rochester, Minnesota 55905. E-mail:
Spelsberg.Thomas{at}mayo.edu
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Abstract
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This laboratory reported the identification and characterization of a
unique three zinc finger, transcription factor-like, transforming
growth factor-ß inducible early gene (TIEG) (see Ref. 35). TIEG
expression has been shown to be tissue- and cell type specific,
enhanced by specific growth factors, and to decrease with advancing
stages of breast cancer. Recent studies involving TIEG overexpression
in pancreatic carcinoma cells indicate that TIEG expression inhibits
DNA synthesis, similar to a tumor suppressor-like gene, and plays a
role in apoptosis (see Ref. 37). This paper describes the rapid, but
transient, induction of TIEG steady-state messenger RNA (mRNA) levels
by 17ß-estradiol (E2) in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive,
human fetal osteoblastic (hFOB/ER) cells. This rapid induction is shown
to be ER- and steroid dose-dependent but protein synthesis independent.
An antagonism between E2 and PTH, which occurs in skeletal
metabolism, is shown to concur rapidly with TIEG mRNA expression.
Scanning confocal microscopy (using polarized, laser-based
immunofluorescence) shows that TIEG protein is localized in the nucleus
of hFOB/ER cells, with the levels rapidly increasing after
E2 treatment. The rapid E2-induced increase in
TIEG expression is followed by an E2-induced inhibition of
DNA synthesis in the hFOB/ER cells. Antiestrogens block not only the
induction of TIEG mRNA levels but also the inhibition of cell
proliferation. Lastly, hFOB cells, stably transfected with a TIEG
expression vector, display markedly reduced DNA synthesis/cell
proliferation, compared with nontransfected cells. These results
support the finding that TIEG is an early responding regulatory gene
for E2 in human osteoblast cells that inhibits DNA
synthesis. It is speculated that TIEG may play a role in the signaling
pathway for E2 in inhibiting cell proliferation.
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Introduction
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ESTROGEN, an important regulator of bone
metabolism, has been used clinically to prevent bone loss and reduce
fracture risk in postmenopausal women (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Studies both in
vivo and in vitro in humans and animals have shown that
17ß-estradiol (E2) decreases bone resorption and inhibits
bone-resorbing osteoclast activities (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11). The effects of
E2 on bone-forming osteoblast functions, however, are less
clear (1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18). The discovery of estrogen receptors (ERs) in
osteoblasts (19, 20) identified osteoblasts as potential target cells
for E2. Other studies have reported that E2
increases the production of cytokines and growth factors and their
binding proteins by human osteoblasts, including interleukin-6 (21, 22), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) (23, 24, 25, 26), IGF binding
proteins (27, 28), and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) (26, 29). Indeed, one of the main results of E2 action in
osteoblasts is the induction of TGF-ß production (5, 26, 29, 30).
TGF-ß, in turn, has major effects on osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and
bone physiology, in general. It has been demonstrated that
E2 and PTH act as functional antagonists in osteoblasts (5, 23, 29). For example, either E2 or PTH alone can induce
TGF-ß production in primary human osteoblastic cells, yet PTH can
block this E2 induction of TGF-ß production and
vice versa (29).
Many in vitro studies on the effects of E2 on
osteoblast proliferation and differentiation have produced inconsistent
results (for review, see Refs. 5 and 30). The conflicting responses by
osteoblasts to E2 may, in part, be attributed to species
differences, cellular heterogeneity, incomplete differentiation, and/or
low or variable ER content among the various cell lines and primary
cultures (25, 31). To overcome these uncertainties, we have developed a
human immortalized fetal cell line [human fetal osteoblastic/ER9
(hFOB/ER9)] that expresses the mature osteoblast phenotype and
contains high levels of ER (32, 33). Recent studies in our laboratory
have shown that during the stage of rapid cell proliferation,
E2 treatment of hFOB/ER9 cells resulted in a dose-dependent
inhibition of [3H]-thymidine incorporation (34). Further,
E2 causes an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity and
a decrease in osteocalcin protein levels. These results support the
hypothesis that E2 does have an effect on osteoblastic
growth and function by decreasing hFOB/ER9 cell proliferation and
differentially regulating the production of extracellular matrix
proteins, growth factors, and cytokines.
Our laboratory also has identified a novel TGF-ß inducible early gene
(TIEG) in human osteoblasts (35). This gene encodes a 480-amino acid
protein and contains three zinc finger motifs at the C-terminal end.
The zinc finger region of this gene shows homology to a known
transcription factor family of genes, e.g. SP-1, BTEB, and
Wilms tumor gene. The messenger RNA (mRNA) steady-state levels for
TIEG are induced as early as 30 min after TGF-ß treatment in human
osteoblasts, with a maximal induction at 12 h (35). This induction
displayed a growth factor specificity in osteoblasts, with TGF-ß,
BMP-2 and EGF as the major inducers, whereas many other growth factors
and cytokines showed only a minimal effect (35). In addition, the
induction of TIEG mRNA levels occurs at the level of transcription and
is independent of protein synthesis. The gene displays a
tissue-specific expression, because the basal mRNA steady-state levels
were shown to be high in several human organs (heart, liver, muscle,
placenta, pancreas), but low to absent in others (kidney, brain, lung)
(35).
Recent studies using immunoprecipitation methods with TIEG-specific
polyclonal antibodies have demonstrated that, in the immortalized hFOB
cells, TIEG encodes a 72-kDa protein, and TGF-ß treatment of hFOB
cells increases the TIEG protein levels, by 2 h after the
induction of TIEG mRNA levels (36). Further, Western blotting and
immunohistochemical studies demonstrate that TIEG protein is expressed
in many, but not all, tissues (following the pattern of mRNA levels)
and, thus, is markedly cell-type-specific (35, 36). Interestingly, a
stage-dependent expression of TIEG protein was found in a dozen breast
cancer biopsies, which is inversely correlated with the stage of the
disease, suggesting that TIEG might be a tumor-suppressor gene (36).
Recent studies have demonstrated that overexpression of TIEG protein in
pancreatic carcinoma cells inhibits cell proliferation and induced
apoptosis (37).
Studies described in this report support the role of TIEG as a
potential participant in the signaling pathway of the E2
regulation of DNA synthesis. This study demonstrates that
E2 rapidly induces the expression of TIEG mRNA and protein
in hFOB/ER9 cells. The TIEG protein is shown to be localized in and
around the nucleus, with E2 treatment rapidly increasing
its levels in the nucleus. The induction of TIEG mRNA by E2
is rapid and independent of new protein synthesis, and it acts via the
ER. The induction of TIEG expression is followed by the
E2-mediated decrease in DNA replication in these cells
(34). To support the hypothesis that TIEG plays a primary role in the
E2 inhibition of DNA synthesis, the overexpression of TIEG
in the parent cell line (hFOB) was shown to result in a significant
inhibition of DNA synthesis, mimicking the effects of the
E2 treatment. These data support the fact that TIEG
represents an early response gene in the E2 regulation of
human osteoblast cells and, when overexpressed, can inhibit DNA
synthesis.
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Materials and Methods
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DMEM-Hams F12 (DMEM/F12; 1:1, wt/wt) mix, FBS, human PTH
(134), trypsin-EDTA reagent, and E2 were purchased from
Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Neomycin G418 (geneticin) was
purchased from Life Technologies (Gaithersburg, MD) and hygromycin B
was purchased from Boehringer Mannheim (Indianapolis, IN). The
phenol-Guanidine isothiocyanate (Tri-reagent) solution for RNA
isolation was purchased from Molecular Research Center (Cincinnati,
OH). Pentex BSA was purchased from Bayer (Kan Kakee, IL). Radiolabeled
reagents, including [3H]thymidine and
[
32P]deoxycytidine triphosphate, were purchased from
DuPont-New England Nuclear (Boston, MA). ICI 182,780 was a gift from
Zeneca Pharmaceuticals (Cheshire, UK). Tissue culture flasks and dishes
were obtained from Corning (Park Ridge, IL).
Cell culture and Northern analysis
The immortalized hFOB cells used in these studies were
engineered as a temperature-sensitive cell line which proliferates at
the permissive temperature (34 C), yet ceases proliferation when
incubated at the restrictive temperature (39.5 C) (24). The hFOB cells
were maintained in phenol-red free DMEM/F12 (1:1) supplemented with
10% (vol/vol) FBS and 300 µg/ml geneticin, and incubated at the
permissive temperature of 34 C. Two second-generation transfected hFOB
cell lines expressing wild-type human ER (hFOB/ER3 and hFOB/ER9) have
been developed recently and described previously (32). The hFOB/ER cell
lines were maintained in phenol red-free DMEM/F12 (1:1), supplemented
with 10% (vol/vol) charcoal-stripped FBS (FBS-cs) and continuous
selection, with alternating media changes containing either 300 µg/ml
geneticin or 150 µg/ml hygromycin B. The hFOB/ER cell lines were
cultured at the permissive temperature (34 C).
For Northern blot analysis, cells were first plated in 100-mm tissue
culture dishes and grown to confluency using the media described above.
The monolayers were washed twice with DMEM/F12 and once with DMEM/F12
containing 0.25% (vol/vol) BSA (BSA medium). Cells were incubated in
10 ml/plate BSA medium containing 10 nM ICI 182,780 for
48 h at 34 C. These serum-starved, ICI-pretreated cells were
washed as described above, before steroid treatment. For steroid
treatments, first E2 at concentrations of 0.1100
nM, or IC1 182,780 at 100-fold excess concentrations of the
E2 or an equivalent volume of ethanol (vehicle) were added
to the cells. The cells were incubated at 34 C for the times indicated
both in Results and in the figures. Total RNA (810 µg),
as previously described (34), isolated from the hFOB/ER cells, was
resolved on a 1% (wt/vol) agarose glyoxal gel (36, 37, 38, 39), transferred to
nylon membrane by capillary diffusion in 20x saline-sodium citrate (3
M NaCl, 0.3 M sodium citrate, pH 7.0), and
bound to the membrane by baking at 80 C under vacuum for 2 h. The
blots were probed with [32P]-labeled TIEG complementary
DNA (cDNA) (34). Densitometry was performed with a Shimadzu CS 9000
flying spot scanning laser densitometer (Kyoto, Japan).
To examine the effect of cycloheximide or actinomycin D on
E2 regulation of TIEG mRNA, the hFOB/ER9 cells were plated
in 100-mm dishes, followed by the steroid treatment, as previously
described, using 10 nM E2 or vehicle alone with
cycloheximide (10 µg/ml) or actinomycin D (1 µg/ml) added to the
medium for 120 min. To examine the effect of antiestrogen upon
E2 regulation of TIEG, hFOB/ER9 cells were pretreated, as
described above, and either E2 (1 nM or 10
nM) alone or E2 with ICI 182,780 (100-fold
molar excess of E2) was added to the cells and incubated at
34 C for 120 min. Total RNA was obtained, and Northern blot analysis
was performed, as described above. To examine the antagonism between
PTH and E2, hFOB/ER9 cells were treated as described above,
except that human PTH (134) (0.001 nM-10 nM)
was added directly to medium coincident with E2 or vehicle
addition. The cells were then incubated at 34 C for 120 min and
Northern analysis performed.
Localization of TIEG by immunofluorescence
The hFOB/ER9 cells were plated at a density of 25,000
cells/cm2 in 8-well permanox chamber slides (Nunc,
Naperville, IL) and grown for 48 h at 34 C in DMEM/F12 (1:1)
containing 10% FBS-cs. The cells were serum-starved and ICI 182,780
pretreated, as described above. The monolayers on chamber slides were
treated with E2 (10 nM) or vehicle alone,
incubated at 34 C for 120 min, and fixed with methanol (-20 C) for
1 h. Nonspecific protein binding was blocked with 10% normal goat
serum, and subsequently, slides were incubated with rabbit polyclonal
antihuman TIEG antibody (1 µg/ml) in a humid chamber for 2 h at
room temperature. Cells were extensively rinsed with PBS and were
incubated with the secondary goat antirabbit dichlorotriacinyl
aminofluorescein-conjugated antibody (Jackson ImmunoResearch, West
Grove, PA) at a dilution of 1:200 for 2 h at room temperature.
After extensive washing with PBS, the slides were mounted in glycerol
solution containing paraphenylenediamine, and they were analyzed with a
laser scanning confocal microscope (LSM 310, Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen,
Germany) equipped with an argon/krypton laser tuned to an excitation
wavelength of 488 nm. An emission filter of 530 nm was used in front of
the photomultiplier tube. The objective lens was a Zeiss plan-neofluar
(40x magnification, oil immersion).
Cell proliferation analyses
Cell proliferation was assessed using a
[3H]-thymidine incorporation assay. The hFOB/ER9 cells
were plated into 24-well culture dishes at 10,000 cells/cm2
in DMEM/F12 containing 10% (vol/vol) FBS-cs, and they were incubated
for 48 h. The cells were then washed twice with PBS and pretreated
with ICI 182,780 (10-7 M) in DMEM/F12
containing 1% (vol/vol) FBS-cs for 48 h, to minimize the effects
of residual E2 remaining after charcoal stripping. The
cells were washed twice with PBS and treated with either hormone or
vehicle for 5 days in DMEM/F12 containing 1% (vol/vol) FBS-cs at 34 C.
Then [3H]-thymidine (0.5 µCi) was added to each well
for 24 h before completion of the assay. The cells were rinsed
four times with 10% (wt/vol) trichloroacetic acid, solubilized in
0.2% (wt/vol) NaOH, and mixed with scintillation cocktail for
[3H] quantitation. The incorporation of
[3H]-thymidine into the trichloroacetic acid precipitable
material was used as an indicator of cellular DNA synthesis (40).
Stable expression of TIEG in human osteoblasts
TIEG cDNA was cloned into an eukaryotic expression vector that
contains the hygromycin gene (32). The vector was linearized and
transfected into hFOB cells, using the electroporation method
previously described (32, 33). The transfected cells were selected for
hygromycin resistance. The selected clones were individually
ring-cloned and were expanded for further studies. To study
proliferation, hFOB and hFOB TIEG overexpression cells were plated at a
density of 30,000 cells/cm2 in 12-well plates and incubated
for 48 h at 34 C in DMEM/F12 containing 10%(vol/vol) FBS. The
[3H]thymidine was added 24 h before harvesting the
cells, and the levels of [3H]thymidine incorporation were
determined as previously described.
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Results
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The effect of E2 on TIEG expression was initially
examined in several hFOB cell lines that express varying levels of ER.
The hFOB/ER3 cells, representing a conditionally immortalized fetal
osteoblastic cell line, express 825 ± 18 activated ERs per
nucleus, whereas the hFOB/ER9 cells express much higher levels
(3,931 ± 1,341 per nucleus) (32, 33). To examine the effects of
E2 upon steady-state levels of TIEG mRNA, subconfluent
hFOB/ER9 cells were treated with 10 nM E2,
total RNA was harvested at the times indicated, and Northern blot
analysis was performed. As shown in Fig. 1
, E2 treatment of hFOB/ER9
cells resulted in a rapid increase in TIEG mRNA steady-state levels,
with a maximal induction at 120 min post treatment. Densitometric
analysis of multiple Northern blots indicated a 7- to 8-fold induction
of TIEG steady-state mRNA by E2 in hFOB/ER9 cells. The
levels of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (control) mRNA
demonstrate equivalent RNA loading. In half of the six independent
experiments, the levels of TIEG remained elevated at 4 h post
treatment, whereas in the remaining experiments, the E2
induction of TIEG was more transient, often declining to basal levels
shortly after 4 h post treatment (data not shown). The exact cause
of this variation is unknown.

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Figure 1. Northern blot analyses, showing the chronology of
E2 induction of TIEG steady-state mRNA levels in
ER-positive hFOB/ER9 cells. Subconfluent hFOB/ER9 cells were pretreated
with 10 nM ICI 182,780 and serum-starved for 48 h
before treatment. The serum-starved cells were washed in serum-free
media to remove ICI and then treated with 10 nM
E2 or an equivalent volume of ethanol, and total RNA was
isolated at the times indicated for the Northern blot. The blot was
probed with [32P]-labeled TIEG and
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase cDNA. The vehicle control was
harvested at 120 min post treatment. This blot is representative of six
independent experiments that show the same pattern.
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The effect of E2 on TIEG expression also was examined in
hFOB/ER3 cells, which contain lower ER levels than the hFOB/ER9 cells.
Subconfluent hFOB/ER3 cells were treated with 10 nM
E2, total RNA was obtained at the times indicated, and
Northern blot analyses were performed. Fig. 2A
shows that, as with the hFOB/ER9
cells, E2 treatment of hFOB/ER3 cells results in a rapid
increase in the steady-state levels of TIEG mRNA. However,
densitometric analysis of TIEG mRNA levels demonstrated a maximal
stimulation between 2- to 5-fold in hFOB/ER3 cells, compared with 7- to
8-fold for hFOB/ER9 cells 120 min post treatment. Two approaches were
taken to support the premise that the E2 regulation of TIEG
requires an active ER for the TIEG induction. First, the ER-deficient
hFOB cells were treated with 10 nM E2 and
analyzed for TIEG expression. The hFOB cells were serum starved and ICI
pretreated for 48 h before treatment with either vehicle or 10
nM E2. As shown in Fig. 2B
, E2 does
not induce TIEG in ER-deficient hFOB cells. Second, serum-starved,
subconfluent hFOB/ER9 cells were cotreated with E2 and a
100-fold excess of ICI 182,780 for 2 h, and Northern analyses were
performed. As shown in Fig. 3
, the
addition of the ICI 182 780 completely blocks the E2
induction of TIEG mRNA levels, supporting the premise that the effect
is mediated through the ER.

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Figure 2. Northern blot analyses showing the chronology of
E2 induction of TIEG steady-state mRNA levels in hFOB/ER3
and hFOB cells. Subconfluent hFOB/ER3 and hFOB cells were pretreated
and treated as described in Fig. 1 . Panel A, Total RNA from hFOB/ER3
was isolated at the times indicated. The vehicle control was harvested
at 120 min post treatment. Panel B, Total RNA from hFOB cells was
isolated at 120 min post treatment. These blots are representative of
three independent experiments that show the same pattern responses.
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Figure 3. Northern blot analyses showing the effects of the
antiestrogen ICI 182,780 on E2 induction of TIEG mRNA
levels. Subconfluent hFOB/ER9 cells were pretreated with 10
nM ICI 182,780 and serum-starved for 48 h before
treatment. Cells were then treated with E2 in the presence
or absence of ICI 182,780. Total RNA was isolated at 120 min post
treatment. This blot is representative of three independent
experiments, each showing the same responses.
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To further characterize the effect of E2 on TIEG,
subconfluent hFOB/ER9 cells were treated with varying concentrations of
E2, ranging from 0.01100 nM, the total RNA
was harvested at 120 min post treatment, and Northern analyses were
performed. Fig. 4
shows that there is a
steroid, dose-dependent induction of TIEG mRNA steady-state levels,
with a maximal stimulation between 1 and 10 nM
E2. To determine whether the E2 induction of
TIEG was dependent on new protein synthesis, the protein synthesis
inhibitor, cycloheximide, was added during E2 treatment at
a concentration which inhibits more than 95% of the protein synthesis.
The inhibition of protein synthesis was shown not to affect the
E2 induction of TIEG mRNA (Fig. 5
). This suggests that the induction is
not dependent on protein synthesis. In contrast, the addition of RNA
synthesis inhibitor, actinomycin-D, during the 10 nM
E2 treatment of hFOB/ER9 cells, does abolish the
E2 induction of TIEG, suggesting that the E2
induction of TIEG is mediated, at least in part, at the level of
transcription (Fig. 5
).

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Figure 4. Northern blot analyses showing the E2
dose-dependent induction of TIEG mRNA levels in hFOB/ER9 cells.
Subconfluent hFOB/ER9 cells were pretreated with 10 nM ICI
182,780 and serum-starved for 48 h before treatment. Cells were
treated with varying concentrations of E2 or equivalent
volumes of ethanol for 2 h. Total RNA was isolated. This blot is
representative of four independent experiments, each showing the same
responses.
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Figure 5. Northern blot analyses showing the effects of
cycloheximide and actinomycin D on the E2 induction of TIEG
mRNA levels in hFOB/ER9 cells. Subconfluent hFOB/ER9 cells were
pretreated with 10 nM ICI 182,780 and serum-starved for
48 h before treatment. Cells were treated with 10 nM
E2 or equivalent volumes of ethanol. Actinomycin D (1
µg/ml) or cycloheximide (10 µg/ml) was added at the time of
E2 addition. This blot is representative of three
independent experiments, each showing the same pattern.
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Previously, TIEG was shown to contain a three zinc finger motif, which
has homology to several zinc finger containing transcription factors
such as SP1, SP2, and Wilms tumor (35). TIEG also contains a nuclear
localization signal located from amino acids 186198 in its unique
N-terminal region (35, 41). Taking these factors into account, the
effect of E2 on the intracellular localization in hFOB/ER9
cells was examined. Serum-starved, subconfluent hFOB/ER9 cells were
treated with 10 nM E2 or vehicle alone,
incubated at 34 C for 2 h, fixed with methanol, and then analyzed
by laser-based scanning confocal microscopy using indirect
immunofluorescent staining and a polyclonal antibody directed against a
TIEG peptide (36). Using the TIEG specific polyclonal antibody, TIEG
protein in the vehicle control was located predominately in the
cytoplasmic regions of the cell (Fig. 6B
). The 2-h E2 treatment
results in an enhanced nuclear localization of TIEG protein, as
demonstrated by the greatly increased punctate fluorescence observed in
the nuclei (Fig. 6C
). There was no fluorescent staining observed with
the negative control antibody (Fig. 6A
).

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Figure 6. Polarized laser-based immunofluorescence confocal
microscopy of TIEG protein in hFOB/ER9 cells, treated with
E2 or untreated. A, Nonspecific binding IgG; B, vehicle; C,
10 nM E2 hFOB/ER9 cells were plated at a
density of 25,000 cells/cm2 in 8-well Permonex chamber
slides and grown for 48 h. Cells were serum-starved and pretreated
with 10 nM ICI 182,780 for 48 h. Cells were treated
with 10 nM E2 or equivalent volumes of ethanol
for 2 h. Cells were fixed with ice-cold methanol for 1 h.
Cells were incubated with either IgG (1 µg/ml) or TIEG antibody (1
µg/ml) at room temperature for 2 h. Cells were then incubated
with the secondary antibody, goat antirabbit dichlorotriacinyl amino
fluorescein at a dilution of 1:200 for 2 h at room temperature.
Magnification: 40x. Two independent experiments with a total of 16
replicates were performed, with each showing the same localization
pattern.
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Because PTH and E2 antagonize each other in the induction
of TGF-ß (5, 23, 29) and TIEG is an E2 and TGF-ß
regulated gene, the effect of PTH, alone and in combination with
E2, on TIEG mRNA steady-state levels was examined. The
hFOB/ER9 cells were treated either with 10 nM
E2 alone, or with three separate doses of human PTH (134)
alone, or in combination with E2. As shown in Fig. 7
, treatment of hFOB/ER9 cells for 120
min with PTH (134) alone moderately reduces the TIEG mRNA
steady-state levels in a dose-dependent manner. The concurrent
addition of PTH (134) to E2-treated cells blocked the
E2-induced increase in TIEG mRNA steady-state levels. The
lack of a dose response in these competition studies is probably caused
by the fact that the maximal inhibition was achieved at the lowest dose
of the PTH. These data suggest that PTH also may rapidly regulate TIEG,
and its antagonism of E2 action on osteoblast cells may
occur at the level of TIEG gene expression. Past studies have shown
that both E2 and TIEG inhibit DNA synthesis and cell
proliferation. The possibility arises that E2 inhibits DNA
synthesis via the TIEG gene. As shown in Fig. 8
, the E2-induced TIEG mRNA
steady-state levels at 120 min is indeed followed by an
E2-induced inhibition of DNA replication after 5 days in
the hFOB/ER9 cells. Further, the antiestrogen is shown to block these
actions, suggesting that the TIEG may be directly involved in the
E2 inhibition of DNA replication. In support of this
possibility, the parent hFOB cell line was stably transfected with a
TIEG expression construct (as described in Materials and
Methods), and the rate of DNA synthesis was measured. The hFOB
cells were used in these studies because transfections of the already
stably transfected (with the SV-40 T-antigen and ER) hFOB/ER cells were
difficult to clone and displayed poor cell viability. As shown in Fig. 9
, the nonconfluent cells, with stably
transfected TIEG, repressed DNA synthesis by 53%, compared with the
nontransfected (control) cells. Thus, TIEG overexpression seems to
inhibit DNA synthesis, and the E2-induced inhibition of
osteoblastic cell replication may be mediated by the E2
induction of the TIEG gene expression, which in turn, inhibits DNA
synthesis.

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Figure 7. Effects of PTH and PTH/E2 cotreatments
of hFOB/ER9 cells on TIEG mRNA levels. Subconfluent hFOB/ER9 cells were
pretreated with 10 nM ICI 182,780 and serum-starved for
48 h before treatment. Cells were treated with ethanol,
E2 alone, or with PTH (134), which was added directly to
the cells concurrently with E2. Five independent
experiments were performed.
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Figure 8. Effects of E2 on hFOB/ER9 cell DNA
synthesis: correlations with TIEG induction. A, Densitometry analyses
of an example Northern blot of the E2 induction of TIEG
mRNA; B, cells were plated at 10,000 cells/cm2 cultured for
2 days at 34 C in DMEM/F12 containing 10% FBS-cs and then pretreated
for 2 days with 10-7 M ICI 182,780 (ICI) in
DMEM/F12 containing 1% FBS-cs. The cells were subsequently treated
with vehicle (ethanol control) 10-8 M
E2, 10-8 M E2 plus
10-7 M ICI 182,780 (E2+ICI) for 5
days in DMEM/F12 containing 1% (vol/vol) FBS-cs. The
[3H]-thymidine was added 24 h before cell harvest.
Results were expressed as percent of vehicle control. Three independent
experiments were performed, each with triplicate analyses, showing the
same responses.
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Figure 9. Correlation of the rates of cell proliferation by
[3H]-thymidine incorporation in control hFOB and TIEG
overexpression clones. To examine cell proliferation, hFOB and the
corresponding TIEG overexpression clones were plated at a density of
30,000 cells/cm2 and grown in DMEM/F12 with 10% FBS for
24 h. After 24 h, the cells were incubated with
[3H]-thymidine (2 µCi/ml) for 18 h. Two
independent experiments were performed, each with triplicate analyses,
showing the same results.
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Discussion
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Because E2 and TGF-ß play a major role in bone
physiology, it is important to elucidate the mechanism by which they
affect bone cells, including which genes are involved. Whether or not
E2 inhibits or enhances bone formation in vivo
remains controversial (28). For instance, E2 has been
reported to increase (42), decrease (32, 43), or have no effect (44, 45) on various human osteoblast cell lines. In our fetal human
osteoblasts (hFOB/ER), E2 regulates gene expression and
inhibits cell proliferation (34). TGF-ß also has been shown to
regulate many osteoblast functions, including the rapid induction of
TIEG in these hFOB/ER cells (28, 29, 35, 36). This paper presents the
first evidence that E2 rapidly induces TIEG mRNA in a
steroid dose-, time-, and receptor-dependent process. The latter is
supported by: 1) a lack of E2 effect on TIEG expression in
the ER-deficient hFOB cells; 2) a moderate effect on the hFOB/ER3 cells
with low ER levels; 3) a major effect on hFOB/ER9 cells, which contain
high ER levels; and finally, 4) a blockade of the latter when an
antiestrogen is included. The E2 induction of TIEG mRNA
steady-state levels seems to be independent of protein synthesis and to
occur, at least in part, at the level of transcription. The rate of the
E2-induced increase in transcription of TIEG and its
independence of protein synthesis mimic other rapidly responding genes
in the steroid cascade model of action, which include the nuclear
protooncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (46, 47, 48). The suppressive
effects by PTH of the E2 induction of TIEG mRNA
steady-state levels, even at 10-12 M PTH
concentrations, is of interest, because PTH and E2 are
antagonists in bone and osteoblasts (5, 28, 29). The lack of a dose
response in this antagonism indicates that the 10-12
M may be close to the optimal concentration to achieve this
antagonistic effect. The pM PTH concentrations previously
have been shown to be biologically active concentrations in primary
cultures of human osteoblasts, inducing TGF-ß production and
antagonizing the E2 induction of TGF-ß production (29).
The overall biological responses at the level of the bone cells, by
these two agents at these concentrations, can only be speculated.
The E2 effects on osteoblast cell proliferation have had
mixed reports. We have observed a faster cell doubling rate for the
hFOB parental cell line, which expresses very low levels of ER, than
the hFOB/ER9 subclone (32). A decrease in cell growth has been shown
also in SAOS-2 and HTB 96 human osteosarcoma cells, transfected with
the wild-type ER, compared with their parental cell counterpart (49, 50). The effect of E2 on cell proliferation in these bone
cell models may be caused by many factors, which could act alone or in
concert with one another. For example, the E2-mediated
decrease in proliferation that was observed in the hFOB/ER9 cells may
have been caused by an increase in responsiveness of the cells to
E2 and/or cross-talk between the ER and growth factor
regulatory pathways (31, 51). This is possible, because recent work in
our laboratory has shown that E2 stimulates both IGF-BP4
and TGF-ß production in hFOB/ER9 cells, and the addition of exogenous
IGF-BP4 or TGF-ß to cultures inhibits cell proliferation in these
cells (29, 30, and data not published). Alternately, the rate of
proliferation also may be influenced by the presence of E2
and high levels of ER, which could sequester important transcription
factors required for expression of genes controlling proliferation or
other house-keeping genes (52). Lastly, in vivo studies
involving E2-treated ovariectomized rats have demonstrated
fewer [3H] thymidine-labeled preosteoblasts than those
observed in control ovariectomized rats (12, 53). The authors suggested
from these studies that the decrease in osteoblast number was probably
caused by the marked inhibition of proliferation of the preosteoblast
cells. This observation may be relevant to the results we observe with
E2 regulation of cell proliferation in the hFOB/ER9 cells
that were derived from fetal tissue and have properties of
preosteoblasts (32, 33, 34). In any case, the biological function of the
E2 inhibition of OB proliferation remains obscure. It is
possible that, by this mechanism, the E2 might inhibit the
loss of bone by reducing the level of bone turnover, which is enhanced
in conditions of bone loss. In this case, the E2 inhibition
of preosteoblasts would reduce the amount of functioning mature OB
needed for bone turnover. The E2 induction of TIEG mRNA
levels is shown here to be followed by an inhibition of cell
proliferation/DNA synthesis. When the E2 induction of TIEG
mRNA levels is blocked, using the antiestrogen ICI 182,780, the
E2-induced inhibition of DNA synthesis also is blocked. A
more direct connection between TIEG levels and DNA replication was
achieved by studies wherein the stable overexpression of TIEG in hFOB
cells caused an inhibition of DNA synthesis. Thus, there is a direct
connection between E2 action and TIEG expression and, in
turn, between TIEG expression and DNA synthesis. These correlations
raise the possibility, but certainly do not prove, that TIEG may serve
as a primary intracellular signal for E2 in the inhibition
of DNA replication in the hFOB/ER9 cells.
The ability of a gene and its protein product to inhibit DNA
replication is one property of a tumor suppressor gene. Interestingly,
TIEG expression levels recently have been shown to have an inverse
correlation with the stage of breast cancer disease (36) and to inhibit
the DNA replication in pancreatic carcinoma cells (37). Some tumor
suppressor genes recently have been reported to function as
transcription factors (e.g. p53, WT-1; BRCA-1/2), whereas
others seem to function as inhibitors of transcription factors
(e.g. Rb), cell adhesion molecules (DCC), guanosine
triphosphatase activators (NF-1), DNA repair enzymes, and/or
intracellular kinase inhibitors (p16) (54). The TIEG protein is shown
in this investigation to be a nuclear protein, and other studies have
reported that its structure contains transcription factor motifs (35).
The transcription factor class of tumor suppressor genes has been shown
to be regulated by estrogens (48). As shown in this study, TIEG also is
regulated by E2 in a fashion similar to other tumor
suppressor genes.
Because TIEG seems to respond rapidly to E2 and TGF-ß in
osteoblast cells, several questions have arisen that are currently
under study. First, the antagonism between PTH and E2,
known to occur in osteoblast cells and skeletal tissue, occurs at the
rapidly regulated levels of TIEG mRNA. The question arises as to
whether TIEG is a primary intracellular target for TGF-ß,
E2, and PTH actions on osteoblast cell proliferation, and
in a broader sense, whether it serves as the primary regulatory gene in
various other TGF-ß/E2/PTH regulated functions. Second:
is TIEG a tumor suppressor gene? The inverse expression levels of TIEG
with the stage of breast cancer (36) and its repression of DNA
synthesis/cell proliferation in pancreatic carcinoma cells (37) and
bone cells, as demonstrated in this study, support this possibility.
Third: would defects in the expression and functions of TIEG play a
role in bone disease and cancer in general? This possibility is
suspected, because TIEG has been localized to chromosome 8,q22.2, the
site of a gene involved in osteopetrosis and a gene involved in acute
myelocytic leukemia (36). The mechanisms by which E2
induces the TIEG transcription, using genomic clones of TIEG, and the
target genes with which TIEG protein may act, are also currently under
study.
 |
Acknowledgments
|
|---|
The authors thank Ms. Jacquelyn House for her excellent clerical
assistance.
 |
Footnotes
|
|---|
1 This work was supported by NIH Grants AR-43627 and AG-04875, by the
Mayo Foundation, and by NIH Training Grants HD-07108 (to J.A.R.),
CA-90441 (to M.S., K.R.T., and K.M.W.), and DK-07352 (to T.E.H.). 
Received July 23, 1997.
 |
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