Gene Expression of Osteoprotegerin Ligand, Osteoprotegerin, and Receptor Activator of NF-κB in Giant Cell Tumor of Bone

A receptor that mediates osteoprotegerin ligand (OPGL)-induced osteoclast differentiation and activation has been identified via genomic analysis of a primary osteoclast precursor cell cDNA library and is identical to the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family member RANK. The RANK mRNA was highly expressed by isolated bone marrow-derived osteoclast progenitors and by mature osteoclasts in vivo. Recombinant OPGL binds specifically to RANK expressed by transfected cell lines and purified osteoclast progenitors. Transgenic mice expressing a soluble RANK-Fc fusion protein have severe osteopetrosis because of a reduction in osteoclasts, similar to OPG transgenic mice. Recombinant RANK-Fc binds with high affinity to OPGL in vitro and blocks osteoclast differentiation and activation in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, polyclonal Ab against the RANK extracellular domain promotes osteoclastogenesis in bone marrow cultures suggesting that RANK activation mediates the effects of OPGL on the osteoclast pathway. These data indicate that OPGL-induced osteoclastogenesis is directly mediated through RANK on osteoclast precursor cells.

TRANCE (tumor necrosis factor–related activation-induced cytokine) is a recently described member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily that stimulates dendritic cell survival and has also been found to induce osteoclastic differentiation from hemopoietic precursors. However, its effects on mature osteoclasts have not been defined. It has long been recognized that stimulation of osteoclasts by agents such as parathyroid hormone (PTH) occurs through a hormonal interaction with osteoblastic cells, which are thereby induced to activate osteoclasts. To determine whether TRANCE accounts for this activity, we tested its effects on mature osteoclasts. TRANCE rapidly induced a dramatic change in osteoclast motility and spreading and inhibited apoptosis. In populations of osteoclasts that were unresponsive to PTH, TRANCE caused activation of bone resorption equivalent to that induced by PTH in the presence of osteoblastic cells. Moreover, osteoblast-mediated stimulation of bone resorption was abrogated by soluble TRANCE receptor and by the soluble decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG), and stimulation of isolated osteoclasts by TRANCE was neutralized by OPG. Thus, TRANCE expression by osteoblasts appears to be both necessary and sufficient for hormone-mediated activation of mature osteoclasts, and TRANCE-R is likely to be a receptor for signal transduction for activation of the osteoclast and its survival.

The osteoclastogenic factor of osteoblastic origin has recently been elucidated as a novel Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-ligand family member, termed osteoclast differentiation factor (ODF). Using a semiquantitative RT-PCR approach, we sought to determine the mRNA expression of ODF and its decoy receptor, osteoprotegerin (OPG), in a selection of osteoblastic cell lines and in response to three factors representative of different signal transduction pathways, vitamin D receptor, protein kinase A or gp130. Each osteotropic agent, either 1,25-(OH)2D3, PTH or IL-11, promoted an increase in the ratio of ODF:OPG, with maximal stimulation occurring at 24 h, 4 h, and 8 h, respectively, and furthermore each was shown to act in a dose-dependent manner. This report establishes that osteoblastic cell lines incapable of supporting osteoclast formation have markedly reduced ODF expression and also illustrates the importance of the relative abundance of ODF compared with the levels of OPG for the induction of osteoclastogenesis.