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Circulating osteocrin stimulates bone growth by limiting C-type natriuretic peptide clearance
Yugo Kanai, … , Naoki Mochizuki, Nobuya Inagaki
Yugo Kanai, … , Naoki Mochizuki, Nobuya Inagaki
Published October 9, 2017
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2017;127(11):4136-4147. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI94912.
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Research Article Bone biology Endocrinology Article has an altmetric score of 3

Circulating osteocrin stimulates bone growth by limiting C-type natriuretic peptide clearance

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Abstract

Although peptides are safe and useful as therapeutics, they are often easily degraded or metabolized. Dampening the clearance system for peptide ligands is a promising strategy for increasing the efficacy of peptide therapies. Natriuretic peptide receptor B (NPR-B) and its naturally occurring ligand, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), are potent stimulators of endochondral bone growth, and activating the CNP/NPR-B system is expected to be a powerful strategy for treating impaired skeletal growth. CNP is cleared by natriuretic peptide clearance receptor (NPR-C); therefore, we investigated the effect of reducing the rate of CNP clearance on skeletal growth by limiting the interaction between CNP and NPR-C. Specifically, we generated transgenic mice with increased circulating levels of osteocrin (OSTN) protein, a natural NPR-C ligand without natriuretic activity, and observed a dose-dependent skeletal overgrowth phenotype in these animals. Skeletal overgrowth in OSTN-transgenic mice was diminished in either CNP- or NPR-C–depleted backgrounds, confirming that CNP and NPR-C are indispensable for the bone growth–stimulating effect of OSTN. Interestingly, double-transgenic mice of CNP and OSTN had even higher levels of circulating CNP and additional increases in bone length, as compared with mice with elevated CNP alone. Together, these results support OSTN administration as an adjuvant agent for CNP therapy and provide a potential therapeutic approach for diseases with impaired skeletal growth.

Authors

Yugo Kanai, Akihiro Yasoda, Keita P. Mori, Haruko Watanabe-Takano, Chiaki Nagai-Okatani, Yui Yamashita, Keisho Hirota, Yohei Ueda, Ichiro Yamauchi, Eri Kondo, Shigeki Yamanaka, Yoriko Sakane, Kazumasa Nakao, Toshihito Fujii, Hideki Yokoi, Naoto Minamino, Masashi Mukoyama, Naoki Mochizuki, Nobuya Inagaki

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Figure 5

mRNA expression of genes in WT and SAP-Ostn-Tg mice at 3 weeks of age.

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mRNA expression of genes in WT and SAP-Ostn-Tg mice at 3 weeks of age.
m...
mRNA expression of Nppc (CNP), Npr3 (NPR-C), and Npr2 (NPR-B) in epiphyseal cartilage of tibiae and lumbar vertebrae of 3-week-old WT and SAP-Ostn-Tg mice. Target gene mRNA expression levels were assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. Data were normalized to hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Hprt) mRNA levels. n = 5 each in the analysis of tibial cartilage; n = 4 each in the analysis of lumbar vertebrae. *P < 0.05, by Student’s t test. Data are representative of at least 2 independent experiments.

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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