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Endocrinology Vol. 140, No. 5 2125-2133
Copyright © 1999 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Extracellular Matrix-Associated Bone Morphogenetic Proteins Are Essential for Differentiation of Murine Osteoblastic Cells in Vitro1

Miyuki Suzawa, Yasuhiro Takeuchi, Seiji Fukumoto, Shigeaki Kato, Naoto Ueno, Kohei Miyazono, Toshio Matsumoto and Toshiro Fujita

Fourth Department of Internal Medicine (M.S., Y.T., S.F., T.F.), University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo 112, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (M.S., S.K.), University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113, Japan; National Institute for Physiological Sciences (N.U.), Okazaki, Cancer Institute Hospital (K.M.), First Department of Internal Medicine (T.M.), University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Tokushima 770, Japan

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Yasuhiro Takeuchi, M.D., Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, 3–28-6 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8688, Japan. E-mail: takeuchi-tky{at}umin.ac.jp


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Osteoblastic differentiation is an essential part of bone formation that compensates resorbed bone matrix to maintain its structural integrity. Cells in an osteoblast lineage develop differentiated phenotypes during a long-term culture in vitro. However, intrinsic mechanisms whereby these cells differentiate into mature osteoblasts are yet unclear. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) stimulate osteoblastic differentiation and bone formation. We demonstrate that mouse osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells constitutively expressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for BMP-2 and BMP-4 and accumulated BMPs in collagen-rich extracellular matrices. BMPs associated with the extracellular matrices were involved in the induction of osteoblastic differentiation of nonosteogenic mesenchymal cells as well as cells in the osteoblast lineage. MC3T3-E1 cells constitutively expressed type IA and type II BMP receptors. When a kinase-deficient type IA BMP receptor was stably transfected to MC3T3-E1 cells to obliterate BMP-2/4 signaling, these cells not only failed to respond to exogenous BMP-2 but lost their capability of differentiation into osteoblasts that form mineralized nodules. These observations strongly suggest that endogenous BMP-2/4 accumulated in extracellular matrices are essential for the osteoblastic differentiation of cells in the osteoblast lineage. Therefore, the regulatory mechanism of BMP-2/4 actions in osteoblastic cells is a principal issue to be elucidated for better understanding of pathogenesis of bone losing diseases such as osteoporosis.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
OSTEOBLASTIC differentiation is an essential part of bone formation, because active osteoblasts should be recruited at the site of osteoclastic bone resorption to compensate the continuous loss of bone matrix and maintain structural integrity of skeletal system. Accumulating evidence indicates that several factors, such as hormones, cytokines and growth factors, are involved in the osteoblastic differentiation (1, 2). Among them, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs)1 have been isolated from bone matrix as factors inducing ectopic bone formation (3, 4). BMPs other than BMP-1 are members of TGF-ß superfamily, and BMP-2 and BMP-4 (BMP-2/4) are supposed to be synthesized by osteoblastic cells in bone (5, 6). In undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, a member of BMP family induces the expression of cbfa1 gene that encodes the osteoblast specific nuclear transcription factor essential for transcription of bone matrix protein genes (7, 8, 9). BMPs stimulate the expression of osteoblastic differentiation markers, such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (9, 10, 11). Although members of BMPs have also been shown to be involved in the skeletal development (12, 13, 14) and in the fracture healing process (15), their physiological significance in osteoblastic differentiation and in bone formation during modeling and remodeling of bone is yet uncertain.

Cells prepared from infantile or neonatal bone are able to differentiate into mature osteoblasts that form bone-like nodules in vitro in the presence of serum and ascorbic acid without any other supplements (16, 17). This indicates that eutopic cells in bone have intrinsic mechanisms that promote their differentiation into osteoblasts for bone formation. However, it is yet uncertain what is the mechanism for osteoblastic differentiation and how it works. Impairment of the mechanism could contribute to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, a principal metabolic disease of losing bone mass, and the way by which it is restored must be useful for the prevention and improvement of bone loss.

The present study was undertaken to explore the mechanisms for osteoblastic differentiation of cells in the osteoblast lineage using nontransformed cell line MC3T3-E1 derived from neonatal mouse calvariae. We present results indicating that endogenously synthesized BMP-2/4 promote osteoblastic differentiation if the cells accumulate collagenous extracellular matrices where BMP-2/4 are stored.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Materials
Native BMPR-IA expression plasmid was a gift from Jeffry Wrana (University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada). Monoclonal antibody (mAb) against BMP-2/4 (h3b2/17.8.1) and recombinant human (rh) BMP-2 were obtained from Genetics Institute (Cambridge, MA) and Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. (Tokyo), respectively. Mouse anti-FLAG M2 mAb and FITC-conjugated goat antimouse IgG polyclonal antibody were purchased from Kodak (Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY) and Southern Biotechnology Associates (Birmingham, AL), respectively.

Cloning of MC3T3-E1 cells constitutively expressing the kinase-deficient BMP receptor-IA
Complementary DNA (cDNA) of kinase-deficient BMP receptor type IA (BMPR-IA) (18) was subcloned into the expression plasmid pcDNA3 (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA). This plasmid contains a 3'-nested deletion clone of mouse BMPR-IA, and the cDNA codes for the extracellular domain and transmembrane domain of the receptor. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in MEM supplement with 10% FBS in the presence and absence of 50 mg/liter L-ascorbic acid. These cells were transfected at 40–60% confluence in 10-cm plastic dishes with pcDNA3 containing the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA or mock plasmid (pcDNA3 alone) by calcium phosphate coprecipitation technique. Medium was freshly changed after 16 h, and cells were maintained for further 48 h to reach confluence. Cells were, then dispersed and cultured in MEM/10% FBS with G418 (300 µg/ml). Cells expressing mRNA for the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA were cloned.

Alkaline phosphatase activity in osteoblastic cells
Cells were washed twice with ice-cold PBS and scraped in 10 mM Tris-HCl containing 2 mM MgCl2 and 0.05% Triton X-100, pH 8.2. The cell suspension was sonicated on ice. Aliquots of supernatants were subjected to protein assay with a kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (Hercules, CA), according to Bradford’s method and to ALP activity measurement. In brief, the assay mixture contained 10 mM p-nitrophenyl phosphate in 0.1 M sodium carbonate buffer, pH 10, supplemented with 1 mM MgCl2, followed by an incubation at 37 C for 30 min. After adding 0.1 M NaOH, the amount of p-nitrophenol liberated was measured by spectrophotometer (17).

RNA isolation and RT-PCR
Poly (A)+ RNA was isolated from cells that were cultured with or without ascorbic acid for 3, 5, and 10 days using the MicroFastTrack Kit (Invitrogen). For RT-PCR analysis, 100 ng poly (A)+ RNA was treated with DNase I (Gibco BRL, Grand Island, NY) and reverse transcribed using random 9-mer (TAKARA RNA PCR Kit ver.2, TAKARA Co., Ohtsu, Japan). The 5'- and 3'-primers used were as follows: BMP-2, 5'-GACGGACTGCGGTCTCCTAAAG-3' and 5'-TCTGCAGATGTGAGAAACTCGTCA-3'; BMP-4, 5'-CGCCGTCATTCCGGATTACAT-3' and 5'-GGCCCAATCTCCACTCCCTT-3'; BMPR-IA, 5'-TAGCACCAGAGGATACCTTGC-3' and 5'-AATGCTTCATCCTGT-TCCAAA-3'; BMPR-IB, 5'-TGCTCTTACGAAGCTCT GGA-3' and 5'-ATCTCTGTCCTTGAGAGGAG-3'; BMPR-II, 5'-CAGAATCAAGGA-ACGGC TATG-3' and 5'-TTGTTTACGGTCTCCTGTCA-3'. Expression of the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA mRNA was detected by RT-PCR using T7 primer as a 5'-primer and 5'-TGGGAGTGGCACCTTCCA-3', which corresponds to a sequence in the pcDNA3 plasmid as a 3'-primer. PCR conditions are as follows; for BMP-2, denature 94 C for 1 min, annealing 56 C for 1 min, extension 74 C for 1 min, this process was repeated 40 cycles followed by 74 C for 7 min; for BMP-4, denature 94 C for 30 sec, annealing 58 C for 30 sec, extension 74 C for 1 min, this process was repeated 40 cycles followed by 74 C for 7 min; for BMPR-IA, -IB, and -II, denature 94 C for 30 sec, annealing 58 C for 30 sec, extension 74 C for 1 min, this process was repeated 35 cycles followed by 74 C for 7 min; for the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA, denature 94 C for 1 min, annealing 58 C for 30 sec, extension 74 C for 30 sec, this process was repeated 35 cycles followed by 74 C for 10 min. Then, PCR products were electrophoresed in 1.0% agarose gel and visualized by ethidiumbromide staining. As a negative control, we carried out PCR amplification without RT. No PCR products were obtained in these experiments for all pairs of primers.

Examination of intracellular distribution of Smad1
Cells expressing mRNA for the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA were transiently transfected with the expression plasmid of FLAG-tagged-Smad1 (19) with or without cotransfection of wild-type BMPR-IA using Cell Electroporator (BRL, Gaithersburg, MD), and then incubated overnight at 37 C. Cells were once dispersed by trypsinization, then plated on Lab-Tek chamber slides (Nunc, Roskilde, Denmark) and allowed to adhere overnight. Intracellular distribution of Smad1 was examined as described (19). In brief, cells were washed and incubated for 1.5 h in the medium with 0.2% FBS in the absence or presence of 400 ng/ml rhBMP-2 before fixing. Cells on the slides were blocked in 10% goat serum for 1 h at room temperature and then incubated overnight at 4 C in 10% goat serum containing anti-FLAG M2 mAb (20 µg/ml). After washing four times, FITC-conjugated goat antimouse IgG polyclonal antibody (1:200 dilution) in 10% goat serum was added and incubated for 1 h at room temperature followed by washing twice. Intracellular distribution of FLAG-tagged Smad1 was microscopically examined.

Immunocytochemical analysis of BMP-2 and BMP-4
The cells were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS for 5 min. After washes three times with PBS, cells were immersed in methanol for 1 min. They were treated with 3% hydrogen peroxide for 5 min, and were washed with PBS. Expression of BMP-2/4 was determined by a mouse mAb (h3b2/17.8.1) against rhBMP-2 using a LSAB kit (DAKO Corp., Kyoto, Japan). This antibody reacts with both BMP-2 and BMP-4. Cells were treated with a biotinylated secondary antibody against mouse IgG, and incubated with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated streptavidin. Immunoreactivity in cell layers was detected using AEC substrate-chromogen system (DAKO Corp.).

The localization of BMP-2/4 was determined by an immunogold technique with an electron microscopy using the same mAb. Cells on the six-well culture dishes were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde/0.5% glutaraldehyde at 4 C for 30 min. Specimens were dehydrated with ethanol and embedded in epoxy resin. Ultrathin sections were made with a diamond knife on Ultracut N (Reichert-Nissei, Tokyo), and were examined with JEM-1200 EX II transmission electron microscope (Nippon Denshi, Tokyo) following the incubation with the primary antibody and the secondary antimouse IgG gold antibody. In brief, the specimen were incubated in PBS/1% BSA to saturate nonspecific binding sites. They were incubated for 1 h in PBS/0.5% BSA containing the anti-BMP-2/4 mAb, and washed with PBS followed by incubating with the antimouse IgG-gold antibody in PBS/0.5% BSA for 1 h.

Mineralized nodules stained by von Kossa’s method
MC3T3-E1 cells expressing mRNA for the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA or pcDNA3 alone were cultured for 3 weeks in the presence of ascorbic acid and 5 mM ß- glycerophosphate. Mineralized nodules were stained with silver nitrate according to von Kossa’s procedure as described (17).

Preparation of detergent-resistant extracellular matrix layers of osteoblastic cells
MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured on 6-well plastic dishes in the presence of ascorbic acid for 10 days. Cells were solubilized with 0.5% sodium deoxycholate in 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, at 4 C for 10 min and washed twice with the same buffer. Solubilized materials were extensively wiped away by several washes with ice-cold PBS (20). Extracellular matrix (ECM) components resistant to the detergent remained on dishes and were stored on ice in 1 ml PBS in the presence and absence of 10 µg soluble form of BMPR-IA (21) for 1 h followed by washing 3 times with PBS. Freshly dispersed cells were inoculated on the coated dishes and cultured in MEM/10% FBS without ascorbic acid at 37 C in 5% CO2 atmosphere. Cells were subjected to ALP assay after 24 h.

Statistical analysis
Data were expressed as means ± SE. Statistical significance was evaluated by ANOVA followed by post hoc method of Bonferroni. Unadjusted P value less than 0.05 was considered to be significant.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
BMP-2 and BMP-4 expressed in osteoblastic cells are accumulated in extracellular matrices
BMP-2/4 have been purified from bone matrix (3), potently stimulate osteoblastic differentiation (10, 11), and induce ectopic bone formation (4). To explore the mechanism whereby mouse MC3T3-E1 cells differentiate into mature osteoblastic cells during a long-term culture, we first examined the expression of BMP-2/4 in these cells through their differentiation process. MC3T3-E1 cells required ascorbic acid to increase ALP activity as an osteoblastic differentiation marker with culture periods of time (Fig. 1Go). They remained at the premature stage with low ALP activity in the absence of ascorbic acid. Detection of transcripts for BMP-2 and BMP-4 by RT-PCR indicated that MC3T3-E1 cells constitutively expressed both BMPs through the differentiation process (Fig. 1Go, inset). To confirm synthesis of BMPs by the cells, proteins of BMP-2/4 were immunostained with a monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes both BMP-2 and BMP-4. Monolayer cells cultured in the presence and absence of ascorbic acid, were diffusely stained with the anti-BMP antibody (Fig. 2Go, A and B).



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Figure 1. Increase in alkaline phosphatase activity and expressions of BMP-2 and BMP-4 in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells with culture periods of time. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in the presence and absence of 50 mg/liter ascorbic acid for 10 days. Alkaline phosphatase activities in cell layers were measured at the indicated culture days. Transcripts of BMP-2 and BMP-4 were detected by RT-PCR from poly (A)+ RNA extracted from cells at the indicated culture days (inset).

 


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Figure 2. Immunostaining of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cell layers with anti-BMP-2/4 mAb. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in the absence (A) and presence (B, C) of 50 mg/liter ascorbic acid for 10 days. Monolayer of the cells (A, B) and detergent-resistant extracellular matrix layers (C) were prepared as described in Materials and Methods. BMP-2/4 expression was diffusely detected using a mouse mAb (h3b2/17.8.1) against rhBMP-2. Immunoreactivity was detected using LSAB kit. Control IgG gave no positive reaction.

 
An accumulation of collagen-rich ECM by MC3T3-E1 cells depends upon the presence of ascorbic acid in culture media (20, 22). Detergent-resistant ECM layers laid down by cells in the presence of ascorbic acid retained molecules immunoreactive with the BMP antibody (Fig. 2CGo). Much less ECM layers were accumulated in the absence of ascorbic acid, and they did not present significant BMP immunoreactivity (data not shown). By an electron microscopic examination, BMP immunoreactivity was distributed along fibrous structures around cells cultured with ascorbic acid, but was not present in a pericellular space in the absence of ascorbic acid (Fig. 3Go). These results indicate that MC3T3-E1 cells constitutively express BMP-2 and BMP-4, and that these BMP proteins are stored in the ECM produced by the cells.



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Figure 3. Electron micrographs from MC3T3-E1 cell layers following immunolabeling with anti-BMP-2/4 mAb. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in the absence (A) and presence (B, C) of 50 mg/liter ascorbic acid for 10 days. Cell layers were prepared and examined as described in Materials and Methods. Immunoreactivity for BMP-2/4 identified as dots of gold particles was distributed along fibrous structures in the ECM around cells cultured with ascorbic acid (B), but was not present in a pericellular space in the absence of ascorbic acid (A). Control IgG gave no positive reaction (C).

 
Stimulation of osteoblastic differentiation by ECM-associated BMP
Detergent-resistant ECM layers deposited by differentiated osteoblastic cells stimulate ALP activity in less differentiated cells (20, 23). To clarify if ECM-associated BMPs are responsible for the stimulation of ALP activity, freshly dispersed MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured for 24 h in the absence of ascorbic acid on the ECM layers prepared from cells of high ALP activity. Preincubation of ECM layers with soluble form of BMPR-IA that captures BMP-4 to neutralize its actions (21), inhibited the elevation of ALP activity on the ECM to a similar level to that in cells on plain plastic dishes (Table 1Go). Treatment with soluble BMPR-IA suppressed ALP activity in cells on plastic dishes in the presence of ascorbic acid to abrogate the effect of ascorbic acid (0.56 ± 0.06 vs. 0.38 ± 0.01 nmol/min·µg-protein in the absence and presence of soluble BMPR-IA, respectively, P < 0.01, n = 3), and only slightly lowered that in the absence of ascorbic acid (Table 1Go). Conditioned media from MC3T3-E1 cells at 10 days of culture in the presence and absence of ascorbic acid did not stimulate ALP activity (data not shown). These observations suggest that ECM-associated BMPs were responsible for the stimulation of ALP activity in MC3T3-E1 cells. Although several other growth factors than BMPs were possibly accumulated in the ECM, such growth factors, for example TGF-ß1 (20), activin, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), epidermal growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, failed to stimulate ALP activity in MC3T3-E1 cells (data not shown).


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Table 1. BMPs associated with ECM produced by MC3T3-E1 cells stimulate ALP activity in MC3T3-E1 cells and non-osteogenic cells

 
BMPs are able to induce pluripotent mesenchymal cells to express osteoblastic phenotypes. To clarify whether the ECM containing BMPs stimulates to induce high ALP activity in nonosteoblastic mesenchymal cells, we examined clonal mouse embryonic fibroblasts C3H10T1/2 and bone marrow cells from long bones of mice. These cells were cultivated in the absence of ascorbic acid on the ECM as described above for 24 h. ALP activity in all cells significantly increased when they were seeded and maintained on the ECM, and this effect was abrogated when the ECM layers were treated with soluble BMPR-IA before an inoculation of cells (Table 1Go). Thus, the ECM containing BMPs could induce the differentiation not only of cells in the osteoblast lineage but of pluripotent mesenchymal cells into osteoblasts.

Expression of kinase-deficient BMP receptor type IA eradicates response of osteoblastic cells to BMP-2
There are two forms of receptors for BMP-2/4. Those are hetero-oligomers of BMPR-II with either BMPR-IA or BMPR-IB serine/threonine kinases (23). According to RT-PCR method, MC3T3-E1 cells constitutively expressed both BMPR-IA and BMPR-II receptors at any differentiation stages in the presence and absence of ascorbic acid (Fig. 4Go). BMPR-IB was not detected in the cells. Treatment of these cells with rhBMP-2 significantly stimulated ALP activity in a dose-dependent fashion when cultured in the presence of ascorbic acid (Fig. 5AGo) and in the absence of ascorbic acid to a less extent (data not shown).



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Figure 4. Expression of receptors for BMP-2/4 in MC3T3-E1 cells. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in the presence and absence of 50 mg/liter ascorbic acid for 10 days. Transcripts of type IA, IB and II receptors for BMP-2/4 were detected by RT-PCR from poly (A)+ RNA extracted from cells at the indicated culture days.

 


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Figure 5. Effects of rhBMP-2 on alkaline phosphatase activity in MC3T3-E1 cells expressing the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA. A, MC3T3-E1 cells that stably express the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA, DN clone 1 and DN clone 2, were cloned in the presence of G418. DN clone cells, and control cells expressing pcDNA3 alone were cultured in the presence of 50 mg/liter ascorbic acid for 4 days. Cells were treated with various concentrations of rhBMP-2 for 3 days, and alkaline phosphatase activities in cell layers were measured. Inset, Results for DN clones are shown with an expanded scale. Data are means ± SE of four determinants. *, Significantly higher than the value obtained from the same clones without rhBMP-2 (P < 0.01). **, Significantly less than the control cultures without rhBMP-2 (P < 0.01). B, Expression of the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA mRNA was detected by RT-PCR using T7 primer as a 5'-primer and a 3'-primer in pcDNA3 expression plasmid. Transcripts containing the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA (closed arrowhead) were detected as a band of expected size (933 bp) by RT-PCR from poly (A)+ RNA extracted from DN clone 1 and DN clone 2 cells. A smaller fragment (257 bp) of pcDNA3 without insertions amplified by RT-PCR (open arrowhead) was detected in the control cells. C, Expression of osteocalcin mRNA was detected by Northern blot analysis. DN clone cells, and control cells expressing pcDNA3 alone were cultured in the presence of 50 mg/liter ascorbic acid for 4 days. Cells were treated with various concentrations of rhBMP-2 for 3 days, and total RNAs isolated from cell layers were subjected to Northern blot analyzes. Twenty micrograms of total RNA was loaded on each lane. The expression of GAPDH mRNA was shown as an internal reference.

 
To clarify if BMP signaling is indispensable for osteoblastic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells, we cloned the cells that stably expressed kinase-negative BMPR-IA ({Delta}BMPR-IA) to obliterate BMP-2/4 signals. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, this {Delta}BMPR-IA blocks BMP signaling as a dominant negative (DN) receptor (18). Mock-transfected cells were selected in the presence of G418 as controls. Seven independent clones expressing {Delta}BMPR-IA mRNA (DN clones) normally attached, spreaded and proliferated on culture dishes. Because characteristics of all clones examined were essentially the same in terms of their responsiveness to BMP-2 and changes in ALP activity with time, results obtained from representative clones (DN clones 1 and 2) were presented. To confirm the expression of {Delta}BMPR-IA mRNA, transcribed pcDNA3 fragment containing {Delta}BMPR-IA sequence in DN clones 1 and 2 was amplified by a RT-PCR method (Fig. 5BGo). In control cells, PCR product corresponding to pcDNA3 vector was obtained. In contrast, longer PCR product containing {Delta}BMPR-IA insert was observed in DN clones. After binding to the receptor, BMP-2/4 activate a signaling molecule Smad1 that is translocated from cytoplasm to nucleus upon its phosphorylation by the receptor serine/threonine kinase (19). We examined the nuclear translocation of FLAG-tagged Smad1 transiently expressed in DN clone cells. Transfected Smad1 diffusely distributed in cytoplasmic compartments in DN clone cells either in the presence or absence of rhBMP-2 (Fig. 6Go, A and C). Nuclear translocation of Smad1 upon the stimulation with 400 ng/ml rhBMP-2 was only observed in DN cells overexpressing wild-type BMPR-IA expression plasmid (Fig. 6Go, B and D). These results indicate that DN clones are refractory to BMP-2 at their receptor level, and that this refractoriness can be restored by overexpressing the wild-type BMPR-IA.



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Figure 6. Nuclear translocation of Smad1 upon stimulation with BMP-2 in MC3T3-E1 cells expressing the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA. MC3T3-E1 cells that stably express the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA, DN clone 1, were established in the presence of G418. Cells were transiently transfected with the expression plasmid of FLAG-tagged-Smad1 with (B, D) or without (A, C) that of native BMPR-IA using Cell Electroporator (BRL) to DN clone 1, and then incubated overnight at 37 C. Cells were once dispersed, then plated on Lab-Tek chamber slides. Distribution of FLAG-tagged-Smad1 was examined as described in Materials and Methods. Cells were incubated for 1.5 h in the medium with 0.2% FBS in the absence (A, B) or presence (C, D) of 400 ng/ml rhBMP-2 before fixing. Intracellular distribution of FLAG-tagged-Smad1 was microscopically examined using FITC-conjugated goat antimouse IgG polyclonal antibody. Nuclear translocation of Smad1 from cytoplasmic compartment was indicated by arrowheads (D).

 
Response of DN clones to rhBMP-2 to stimulate ALP activity was markedly blunted in comparison with control cells (Fig. 5AGo). The effect of rhBMP-2 was only slight but dose dependent up to 400 ng/ml in DN clones, although it was saturated at 200–300 ng/ml in control cells. In addition, ALP activity without rhBMP-2 was significantly lower in DN clones than the control (Fig. 5AGo). The effect of rhBMP-2 on the expression of mRNA for osteocalcin, a late osteoblastic differentiation marker, in DN clones was also negligible, and its basal level was less in DN clones than that in control cells (Fig. 5CGo). Thus, DN clones were unresponsive to the stimulatory effect of BMP-2 on the osteoblastic differentiation by the expression of {Delta}BMPR-IA.

Signaling from BMP receptors are required for osteoblastic differentiation
Increasing ALP activity during the long-term culture in the presence of ascorbic acid was observed in control MC3T3-E1 cells but not in DN clones (Fig. 7AGo). ALP activities in DN clones after 10 days of culture were similar to those in control cells in the absence of ascorbic acid. Cultures for 3 weeks in the presence of ascorbic acid and 5 mM ß- glycerophosphate induced to form mineralized nodules in the control cells, but there were no nodules in cultures of DN clones (Fig. 7BGo). mRNA expression of BMP-2 and BMP-4 was observed both in DN clones and in control cells (Fig. 7CGo). These observations indicate that BMPR-IA and its downstream signals are essentially required for differentiation of osteoblastic cells.



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Figure 7. Failure of development of osteoblastic phenotypes in MC3T3-E1 cells expressing the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA. A, MC3T3-E1 cells that stably express the kinase-deficient BMPR-IA, DN clone 1 (closed squares) and DN clone 2 (open squares), were cloned in the presence of G418. DN clone cells and control cells expressing pcDNA3 alone (open circles) were cultured in the presence of 50 mg/liter ascorbic acid for 10 days. Control cells were also cultured in the absence of ascorbic acid for 10 days (closed circle). Alkaline phosphatase activities in cell layers were measured at the indicated culture days. Data are means ± SE of four determinants. B, Cells were cultured for 3 weeks in the presence of 50 mg/liter ascorbic acid and 5 mM ß- glycerophosphate. Mineralized nodules were stained with silver nitrate according to von Kossa’s procedure. C, Transcripts of BMP-2 and BMP-4 were detected as bands of expected sizes (479 bp and 574 bp, respectively) by RT-PCR from poly (A)+ RNA extracted from the control (lanes 1 and 4), DN clone 1 (lanes 2 and 5) and DN clone 2 cells (lanes 3 and 6) cultured for 10 days.

 
Stimulation of osteoblastic differentiation on ECM layers of DN clone cells
To test whether the ECM layers of DN clones are capable of promoting osteoblastic differentiation, the control and DN clones of MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured for 24 h in the absence of ascorbic acid on ECM layers deposited by the control and DN clone cells. ALP activity did not increase in DN clones on the ECM layers laid down by control MC3T3-E1 cells cultured for 10 days in the presence of ascorbic acid, but did increase in control cells (Table 2Go). ECM layers of DN clones stimulated ALP activity in control cells (Table 2Go) but not in DN clone cells (data not shown), indicating that ECM layers of DN clones were potent enough to promote osteoblastic differentiation. Results shown here confirm that DN clones fail to express osteoblastic phenotypes not due to less competent extracellular milieu or lack of expression of BMP-2/4 but due to inert receptors for BMP-2/4.


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Table 2. ECM layers deposited by DN clones of MC3T3-E1 cells expressing dominant-negative BMP receptor type IA stimulate ALP activity in the control MC3T3-E1 cells

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Factors and mechanisms that initiate and promote osteoblastic differentiation physiologically have long been pursued. Cells in an osteoblast lineage derived from bone, periosteum and bone marrow, have a potency to differentiate into mature osteoblasts after a long-term culture. Although treatment of these cells with members of BMP family, such as BMP-2 and 4, are able to stimulate the differentiation process (10, 11, 24) and these cells synthesize some BMPs (6), it is uncertain what mechanisms intrinsically initiate and support the osteoblastic differentiation. MC3T3-E1 cell line derived from neonatal mouse calvaria is a good model to explore this issue, because these cells spontaneously differentiate into mature osteoblasts with time in the presence of serum and ascorbic acid (17, 22, 25). We have reported that the expression of osteoblastic phenotypes in premature cells is enhanced, when they are cultured on ECM layers laid down by differentiated osteoblastic cells (20). The stimulatory factor(s) accumulated in ECM layers of MC3T3-E1 cells are BMP-2/4 at least in part, because these cells synthesized and accumulated BMP-2/4 in their ECM layers (Figs. 2Go and 3Go), and because soluble BMPR-IA completely blocked the stimulatory effect of the ECM (Table 1Go). Furthermore, high ALP activity was induced in nonosteoblastic mesenchymal cells, when they were maintained on the ECM. Thus, one can assume that the ECM containing BMPs is effective to induce osteoblastic differentiation. We did not exclude possibility that other members of BMP family, such as BMP-6, BMP-7 and GDF-5, known to stimulate osteoblastic differentiation, might also be accumulated in the ECM of MC3T3-E1 cells, and that they were involved in the stimulatory effect.

There are several possibilities that explain the reason why the ECM containing BMPs is competent enough for the differentiation. The first is that the detergent-resistant ECM contains several growth factors, such as TGF-ßs and IGFs (26). Growth factors other than BMPs are also involved in the bone formation. TGF-ß is synthesized by osteoblastic cells (27) and is accumulated in bone matrix, and so is IGF-I (28). TGF-ß strongly stimulates the synthesis and the accumulation of bone matrix proteins by osteoblasts (5, 29). IGF-I enhances the proliferation of cells in the osteoblast lineage (30). Both of them stimulate bone formation (31, 32), and decreases in these factors in bone matrices are proposed to be associated with loss of bone mass. TGF-ß content in bone is less in ovariectomized rats (33). It is also reported that TGF-ß and IGF-I accumulated in human bone matrices decrease with advancing age (34). However, no growth factors but BMPs are able to promote osteoblastic differentiation of nonosteogenic cells. TGF-ß has been shown to suppress the expression of osteoblastic phenotypes and the formation of mineralized nodules in osteoblastic cell cultures (16). Thus, BMPs could be principal factors in the ECM of MC3T3-E1 cells that direct cells in the osteoblast lineage toward mature osteoblasts, and TGF-ß and IGFs may exert their effects on bone formation in a different way from BMPs.

The second one is that ECM proteins, such as collagen and fibronectin, are also involved in the stimulation of osteoblastic differentiation. We have reported that an interaction between type I collagen and {alpha}2ß1 integrin on osteoblastic cells is required for the promotion of their differentiation (20). Their interaction activates focal adhesion kinase (FAK) followed by an activation of its downstream pathways including MAP kinase, and this FAK-MAP kinase cascade is involved in the differentiation process (35). Because rhBMP-2 do not directly enhance the activation of FAK or MAP kinase (unpublished observations), and because endogenous BMPs are shown to be involved in the differentiation, it is suggested that BMP signals stimulate osteoblastic differentiation in conjunction with the integrin-FAK-MAP kinase pathway activated by ECM proteins. Indeed, it is reported that Ras, Raf, and AP-1, which are closely associated with the integrin-FAK-MAP kinase pathway, are involved in BMP-4 signaling during Xenopus embryonic development (36). The third possibility is that immobilized BMPs in the ECM may be protected from proteolytic degradation and ready to access to their receptors on the cell-surface when cells attach to ECM components. Taken together, results in the present study suggest that BMP-2/4 accumulated in ECM layers are highly competent to stimulate osteoblastic differentiation. Thus, endogenous BMPs are particularly important for the development of osteoblastic phenotypes if they are accumulated in ECM layers. Although BMPs have been reported to be bound to type IV collagen and other matrix components (37), the mechanism whereby they were accumulated in the ECM of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells remains to be elucidated.

There has been no direct evidence indicating that BMPs initiate and support osteoblastic differentiation during modeling and remodeling process of bone. To clarify if BMPs are indispensable for the differentiation of osteoblasts, we cloned MC3T3-E1 cells stably expressing a dominant negative receptor for BMP-2/4 ({Delta}BMPR-IA) (18). Although there is another type I receptor for BMP-2/4, BMPR-IB, MC3T3-E1 cells express only BMPR-IA. Thus, {Delta}BMPR-IA is able to eradicate effects of BMP-2/4 in these cells. {Delta}BMPR-IA expressing cells (DN clones) we selected were refractory to BMP-2 at the step before the nuclear translocation of Smad1, an immediate signal transducer of BMPR-I, and failed to express osteoblastic phenotypes with culture periods of time. Because expressions of BMP-2/4 were observed in DN clones and the capability of their ECM layers to stimulate ALP activity in control cells were not less than that of control cells, signals generated by BMPR-IA were essentially required for the spontaneous osteoblastic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells.

MC3T3-E1 cells do not differentiate in the absence of ascorbic acid because matrix type I collagen does not sufficiently accumulate in extracellular spaces (20, 22). BMP-2/4 and their receptors were all expressed in these cells even in the absence of ascorbic acid. This and results described above suggest that endogenous BMP-2/4 exert their effect if cells accumulate collagen-rich ECM layers. This hypothesis is further corroborated by the fact that ALP activity in control cells increased even in the absence of ascorbic acid on either ECM layer deposited by DN clones or control MC3T3-E1 cells. Therefore, both appropriate ECM layers and BMP actions are required for the osteoblastic differentiation.

A previous report showing that BMP-4 is transiently but highly expressed at fracture sites during the healing process (15) supports our notion that endogenous BMPs are important for the osteoblastic differentiation that promotes bone formation. In another aspect of pathophysiology, augmented BMP actions might be involved in the pathogenesis of some diseases. It is suggested that the expression of BMP receptors is involved in the development of ossification of paravertebral ligaments (38). Osteosarcoma cells sometimes strongly express members of BMP family (39), which may constitutively activate the signals out of physiological regulations and may be involved in their oncogenesis. Results presented here demonstrate that the regulatory mechanism of BMP-2/4 actions in osteoblastic cells as well as that of the ECM production is one of principal issues to be elucidated in the control of bone formation for better understanding of pathogenesis of osteoporosis and for development of its therapeutic procedures.


    Acknowledgments
 
We thank Tomoko Kikuchi for her technical assistance and are grateful to Masaki Yanagishita for helpful discussions. We thank Jeffry Wrana for providing us BMPR-IA expression plasmid and Yumiko Nagai for microscopic examinations.


    Footnotes
 
1 This study was presented in part in the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Cincinnati, Ohio, September 10–14, 1997. This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (to Y.T. and T.M.), Grants for Silver Science Program on the Investigation of Osteoporosis from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan (to T.M.), and Grants from Research Society for Metabolic Bone Diseases (to Y.T.). Back

Received September 1, 1998.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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