RSPO2/RANKL-LGR4 signaling regulates osteoclastic pre-metastatic niche formation and bone metastasis

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Abstract

Therapeutics targeting osteoclasts are commonly used treatments for bone metastasis; however, whether and how osteoclasts regulate pre-metastatic niche and bone tropism is largely unknown. In this study, we report that osteoclast precursors (OPs) can function as a pre-metastatic niche component that facilitates breast cancer (BCa) bone metastasis at early stages. At the molecular level, unbiased GPCR ligand/agonist screening in BCa cells suggested that R-spondin 2 (RSPO2) and RANKL, through interacting with their receptor LGR4, promoted osteoclastic pre-metastatic niche formation and enhanced BCa bone metastasis. This was achieved by RSPO2/RANKL-LGR4 signal modulating WNT inhibitor DKK1 through Gαq and β-catenin signaling. DKK1 directly facilitated OP recruitment through suppressing its receptor low-density lipoprotein-related receptors 5 (LRP5) but not LRP6, upregulating Rnasek expression via inhibiting canonical WNT signaling. In clinical samples, RSPO2, LGR4 and DKK1 expression showed positive correlation with BCa bone metastasis. Furthermore, soluble LGR4 extracellular domain (ECD) protein, acting as a decoy receptor for RSPO2 and RANKL, significantly alleviated bone metastasis and osteolytic lesions in mouse bone metastasis model. These findings provide unique insights into the functional role of OPs as key components of pre-metastatic niche for BCa bone metastasis, indicate RSPO2/RANKL-LGR4 signaling as a promising target for inhibiting BCa bone metastasis.

Authors

Zhiying Yue, Xin Niu, Zengjin Yuan, Qin Qin, Wenhao Jiang, Liang He, Jingduo Gao, Yi Ding, Yanxi Liu, Ziwei Xu, Zhenxi Li, Zhengfeng Yang, Rong Li, Xiwen Xue, Yankun Gao, Fei Yue, Xiang H.-F. Zhang, Guohong Hu, Yi Wang, Yi Li, Geng Chen, Stefan Siwko, Alison Gartland, Ning Wang, Jianru Xiao, Mingyao Liu, Jian Luo

Skeleton-derived PDGF-BB mediates arterial stiffening

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Abstract

Evidence links osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease but the cellular and molecular mechanisms are unclear. Here we identify skeleton-derived platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB as a key mediator of arterial stiffening in response to aging and metabolic stress. Aged mice and those fed high-fat diet (HFD), relative to young mice and those fed normal chow food diet, had higher serum PDGF-BB and developed bone loss and arterial stiffening. Mononuclear RANK+TRAP+ preosteoclasts in bone/bone marrow secrete excessive amount of PDGF-BB in aged mice and HFD mice. Conditioned medium prepared from preosteoclasts stimulated proliferation and migration of the vascular smooth muscle cells. Conditional transgenic mice, in which PDGF-BB is overexpressed in preosteoclasts, had 3 times the serum PDGF-BB concentration of controls and developed simultaneous bone loss and arterial stiffening at young age. Conversely, in conditional knockout mice, in which PDGF-BB is deleted selectively in preosteoclasts, HFD did not affect serum PDGF-BB concentration. Whereas wild-type mice fed HFD had augmented arterial stiffness, this effect was attenuated in conditional knockout mice. These studies confirm that preosteoclasts are a main source of excessive PDGF-BB in blood circulation during aging and metabolic stress and establish the role of skeleton-derived PDGF-BB as an important mediator of vascular stiffening.

Authors

Lakshmi Santhanam, Guanqiao Liu, Sandeep Jandu, Weiping Su, Bulouere P. Wodu, William Savage, Alan Poe, Xiaonan Liu, Lacy M. Alexander, Xu Cao, Mei Wan

Genomic variants within chromosome 14q32.32 regulate bone mass through MARK3 signaling in osteoblasts

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Abstract

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a highly heritable predictor of osteoporotic fracture. GWAS have identified hundreds of loci influencing BMD, but few have been functionally analyzed. In this study, we show that SNPs within a BMD locus on chromosome 14q32.32 alter splicing and expression of PAR-1a/microtubule affinity regulating kinase 3 (MARK3), a conserved serine/threonine kinase known to regulate bioenergetics, cell division, and polarity. Mice lacking Mark3 either globally or selectively in osteoblasts have increased bone mass at maturity. RNA profiling from Mark3-deficient osteoblasts suggested changes in the expression of components of the Notch signaling pathway. Mark3-deficient osteoblasts exhibited greater matrix mineralization compared with controls that was accompanied by reduced Jag1/Hes1 expression and diminished downstream JNK signaling. Overexpression of Jag1 in Mark3-deficient osteoblasts both in vitro and in vivo normalized mineralization capacity and bone mass, respectively. Together, these findings reveal a mechanism whereby genetically regulated alterations in Mark3 expression perturb cell signaling in osteoblasts to influence bone mass.

Authors

Qian Zhang, Larry D. Mesner, Gina M. Calabrese, Naomi Dirckx, Zhu Li, Angela Verardo, Qian Yang, Robert J. Tower, Marie-Claude Faugere, Charles R. Farber, Thomas L. Clemens

Plasma cells promote osteoclastogenesis and periarticular bone loss in autoimmune arthritis

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Abstract

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoclastic bone resorption causes structural joint damage as well as periarticular and systemic bone loss. Periarticular bone loss is one of the earliest indices of RA, often preceding the onset of clinical symptoms via largely unknown mechanisms. Excessive osteoclastogenesis induced by receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) expressed by synovial fibroblasts causes joint erosion, whereas the role of RANKL expressed by lymphocytes in various types of bone damage has yet to be elucidated. In the bone marrow of arthritic mice, we found an increase in the number of RANKL-expressing plasma cells, which displayed an ability to induce osteoclastogenesis in vitro. Genetic ablation of RANKL in B-lineage cells resulted in amelioration of periarticular bone loss, but not of articular erosion or systemic bone loss, in autoimmune arthritis. We also show conclusive evidence for the critical contribution of synovial fibroblast RANKL to joint erosion in collagen-induced arthritis on the arthritogenic DBA/1J background. This study highlights the importance of plasma-cell RANKL in periarticular bone loss in arthritis and provides mechanistic insight into the early manifestation of bone lesion induced by autoimmunity.

Authors

Noriko Komatsu, Stephanie Win, Minglu Yan, Nam Cong-Nhat Huynh, Shinichiro Sawa, Masayuki Tsukasaki, Asuka Terashima, Warunee Pluemsakunthai, George Kollias, Tomoki Nakashima, Hiroshi Takayanagi

Ovariectomy induces bone loss via microbial-dependent trafficking of intestinal TNF⁺ T cells and Th17 cells

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Abstract

Estrogen deficiency causes a gut microbiome–dependent expansion of BM Th17 cells and TNF-α–producing T cells. The resulting increased BM levels of IL-17a (IL-17) and TNF stimulate RANKL expression and activity, causing bone loss. However, the origin of BM Th17 cells and TNF+ T cells is unknown. Here, we show that ovariectomy (ovx) expanded intestinal Th17 cells and TNF+ T cells, increased their S1P receptor 1–mediated (S1PR1-mediated) egress from the intestine, and enhanced their subsequent influx into the BM through CXCR3- and CCL20-mediated mechanisms. Demonstrating the functional relevance of T cell trafficking, blockade of Th17 cell and TNF+ T cell egress from the gut or their influx into the BM prevented ovx-induced bone loss. Therefore, intestinal T cells are a proximal target of sex steroid deficiency relevant for bone loss. Blockade of intestinal T cell migration may represent a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of postmenopausal bone loss.

Authors

Mingcan Yu, Subhashis Pal, Cameron W. Paterson, Jau-Yi Li, Abdul Malik Tyagi, Jonathan Adams, Craig M. Coopersmith, M. Neale Weitzmann, Roberto Pacifici

Nitric oxide modulates bone anabolism through regulation of osteoblast glycolysis and differentiation

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Abstract

Previous studies have shown that nitric oxide (NO) supplements may prevent bone loss and fractures in preclinical models of estrogen deficiency. However, the mechanisms by which NO modulates bone anabolism remain largely unclear. Argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) is the only mammalian enzyme capable of synthesizing arginine, the sole precursor for nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-dependent NO synthesis. Moreover, ASL is also required for channeling extracellular arginine to NOS for NO production. ASL deficiency (ASLD) is thus a model to study cell-autonomous, NOS-dependent NO deficiency. Here, we report that loss of ASL led to decreased NO production and impairment of osteoblast differentiation. Mechanistically, the bone phenotype was at least in part driven by the loss of NO-mediated activation of the glycolysis pathway in osteoblasts that led to decreased osteoblast differentiation and function. Heterozygous deletion of Caveolin-1, a negative regulator of NO synthesis, restored NO production, osteoblast differentiation, glycolysis, and bone mass in a hypomorphic mouse model of ASLD. The translational significance of these preclinical studies was further reiterated by studies conducted in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from an individual with ASLD. Taken together, our findings suggest that ASLD is a unique genetic model for studying NO-dependent osteoblast function and that the NO-glycolysis pathway may be a new target to modulate bone anabolism.

Authors

Zixue Jin, Jordan Kho, Brian Dawson, Ming-Ming Jiang, Yuqing Chen-Evenson, Saima Ali, Lindsay C. Burrage, Monica Grover, Donna J. Palmer, Dustin L. Turner, Philip Ng, Sandesh C.S. Nagamani, Brendan Lee

Bone marrow adipogenic lineage precursors (MALPs) promote osteoclastogenesis in bone remodeling and pathologic bone loss

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Abstract

Bone is maintained by coupled activities of bone-forming osteoblasts/osteocytes and bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Alterations in this relationship can lead to pathologic bone loss, such as osteoporosis. It is well known that osteogenic cells support osteoclastogenesis via production of RANKL. Interestingly, our recently identified bone marrow mesenchymal cell population—marrow adipogenic lineage precursors (MALPs) that form a multi-dimensional cell network in bone—was computationally demonstrated to be the most interactive with monocyte-macrophage lineage cells through high and specific expression of several osteoclast regulatory factors, including RANKL. Using an adipocyte-specific Adipoq-Cre to label MALPs, we demonstrated that mice with RANKL deficiency in MALPs have a drastic increase in trabecular bone mass in long bones and vertebrae starting from 1 month of age, while their cortical bone appears normal. This phenotype was accompanied by diminished osteoclast number and attenuated bone formation at the trabecular bone surface. Reduced RANKL signaling in calvarial MALPs abolished osteolytic lesions after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injections. Furthermore, in ovariectomized mice, elevated bone resorption was partially attenuated by RANKL deficiency in MALPs. In summary, our studies identified MALPs as a critical player in controlling bone remodeling during normal bone metabolism and pathological bone loss in a RANKL-dependent fashion.

Authors

Wei Yu, Leilei Zhong, Lutian Yao, Yulong Wei, Tao Gui, Ziqing Li, Hyunsoo Kim, Nicholas Holdreith, Xi Jiang, Wei Tong, Nathaniel A. Dyment, Xiaowei Sherry Liu, Shuying Yang, Yongwon Choi, Jaimo Ahn, Ling Qin

A GABAergic neural circuit in the ventromedial hypothalamus mediates chronic stress-induced bone loss

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Abstract

Homeostasis of bone metabolism is regulated by the central nervous system and mood disorders such as anxiety are associated with bone metabolism abnormalities, yet our understanding of the central neural circuits regulating bone metabolism is limited. Here, we demonstrate that chronic stress in crewmembers resulted in decreased bone density and elevated anxiety in an isolated habitat mimicking a space station. We then used a mouse model to demonstrate that GABAergic neural circuitry in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) mediates chronic stress-induced bone loss. We show that GABAergic inputs in the VMHdm arise from a specific group of somatostatin neurons in the posterior region of bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), which is indispensable for stress-induced bone loss and is able to trigger bone loss in the absence of stressors. In addition, the sympathetic system and glutamatergic neurons in nucleus tractus solitaries (NTS) were employed to regulate stress-induced bone loss. Our study has therefore identified the central neural mechanism by which chronic stress induced mood disorders, such as anxiety, influence bone metabolism.

Authors

Fan Yang, Yunhui Liu, Shanping Chen, Zhongquan Dai, Dazhi Yang, Dashuang Gao, Jie Shao, Yuyao Wang, Ting Wang, Zhijian Zhang, Lu Zhang, William W. Lu, Yinghui Li, Liping Wang

Osteocyte necrosis triggers osteoclast-mediated bone loss through macrophage-inducible C-type lectin

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Abstract

Although the control of bone-resorbing osteoclasts through osteocyte-derived RANKL is well defined, little is known about the regulation of osteoclasts by osteocyte death. Indeed, several skeletal diseases, such as bone fracture, osteonecrosis, and inflammation are characterized by excessive osteocyte death. Herein we show that osteoclasts sense damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released by necrotic osteocytes via macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle), which induced their differentiation and triggered bone loss. Osteoclasts showed robust Mincle expression upon exposure to necrotic osteocytes in vitro and in vivo. RNA sequencing and metabolic analyses demonstrated that Mincle activation triggers osteoclastogenesis via ITAM-based calcium signaling pathways, skewing osteoclast metabolism toward oxidative phosphorylation. Deletion of Mincle in vivo effectively blocked the activation of osteoclasts after induction of osteocyte death, improved fracture repair, and attenuated inflammation-mediated bone loss. Furthermore, in patients with osteonecrosis, Mincle was highly expressed at skeletal sites of osteocyte death and correlated with strong osteoclastic activity. Taken together, these data point to what we believe is a novel DAMP-mediated process that allows osteoclast activation and bone loss in the context of osteocyte death.

Authors

Darja Andreev, Mengdan Liu, Daniela Weidner, Katerina Kachler, Maria Faas, Anika Grüneboom, Ursula Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Luis E. Muñoz, Ulrike Steffen, Bettina Grötsch, Barbara Killy, Gerhard Krönke, Andreas M. Luebke, Andreas Niemeier, Falk Wehrhan, Roland Lang, Georg Schett, Aline Bozec

Immobilization after injury alters extracellular matrix and stem cell fate

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Abstract

Cells sense extracellular environment and mechanical stimuli and translate these signals into intracellular responses through mechanotransduction and alters cell maintenance, proliferation, and differentiation. Here we use a mouse model of trauma induced heterotopic ossification (HO) to examine how cell-extrinsic forces impact MPC fate. After injury, single cell (sc) RNA sequencing of the injury site reveals an early increase in MPC genes associated with pathways of cell adhesion and ECM-receptor interactions, and MPC trajectories to cartilage and bone. Immunostaining uncovers active mechanotransduction after injury with increased focal adhesion kinase signaling and nuclear translocation of transcriptional co-activator TAZ, inhibition of which mitigates HO. Similarly, joint immobilization decreases mechanotransductive signaling, and completely inhibits HO. Joint immobilization decreases collagen alignment and increases adipogenesis. Further, scRNA sequencing of the HO site after injury with or without immobilization identifies gene signatures in mobile MPCs correlating with osteogenesis, while signatures from immobile MPCs with adipogenesis. scATAC-seq in these same MPCs confirm that in mobile MPCs, chromatin regions around osteogenic genes are open, while in immobile MPCs, regions around adipogenic genes are open. Together these data suggest that joint immobilization after injury results in decreased ECM alignment, altered MPC mechanotransduction, and changes in genomic architecture favoring adipogenesis over osteogenesis, resulting in decreased formation of HO.

Authors

Amanda K. Huber, Nicole Patel, Chase A. Pagani, Simone Marini, Karthik Padmanabhan, Daniel L. Matera, Mohamed Said, Charles Hwang, Ginny Ching-Yun Hsu, Andrea A. Poli, Amy L. Strong, Noelle D. Visser, Joseph A. Greenstein, Reagan Nelson, Shuli Li, Michael T. Longaker, Yi Tang, Stephen J. Weiss, Brendon M. Baker, Aaron W. James, Benjamin Levi