IgG4-specific responses in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bone infections are not predictive of postoperative complications.

The most prevalent pathogen in bone infections is Staphylococcus aureus; its incidence and severity are partially determined by host factors. Prior studies showed that anti-glucosaminidase (Gmd) antibodies are protective in animals, and 93.3 % of patients with culture-confirmed S. aureus osteomyelitis do not have anti-Gmd levels > 10 ng/mL in serum. Infection in patients with high anti-Gmd remains unexplained. Are anti-Gmd antibodies in osteomyelitis patients of the non-opsonising, non-complement-fixing IgG4 isotype? The relative amounts of IgG4 and total IgG against Gmd and 7 other S. aureus antigens: iron-surface determinants (Isd) IsdA, IsdB, and IsdH, amidase (Amd), α-haemolysin (Hla), chemotaxis inhibitory protein from S. aureus (CHIPS), and staphylococcal-complement inhibitor (SCIN) were determined in sera from healthy controls (Ctrl, n = 92), osteomyelitis patients whose surgical treatment resulted in infection control (IC, n = 95) or an adverse outcome (AD, n = 40), and post-mortem (PM, n = 7) blood samples from S. aureus septic-death patients. Anti-Gmd IgG4 levels were generally lower in infected patients compared to controls; however, levels among the infected were higher in AD than IC patients. Anti-IsdA, IsdB and IsdH IgG4 levels were increased in infected patients versus controls, and Jonckheere-Terpstra tests of levels revealed an increasing order of infection (Ctrl < IC < AD < PM) for anti-Isd IgG4 antibodies and a decreasing order of infection (Ctrl > IC > AD > PM) for anti-autolysin (Atl) IgG4 antibodies. Collectively, this does not support an immunosuppressive role of IgG4 in S. aureus osteomyelitis but is consistent with a paradigm of high anti-Isd and low anti-Atl responses in these patients.

Bone infection: a clinical priority for clinicians, scientists and educators.

Bone infection has received increasing attention in recent years as one of the main outstanding clinical problems in orthopaedic-trauma surgery that has not been successfully addressed. In fact, infection may develop across a spectrum of patient types regardless of the level of perioperative management, including antibiotic prophylaxis. Some of the main unknown factors that may be involved, and the main targets for future intervention, include more accurate and less invasive diagnostic options, more thorough and accurate debridement protocols, and more potent and targeted antimicrobials. The underlying biology dominates the clinical management of bone infections, with features such as biofilm formation, osteolysis and vascularisation being particularly influential. Based on the persistence of this problem, an improved understanding of the basic biology is deemed necessary to enable innovation in the field. Furthermore, from the clinical side, better evidence, documentation and outreach will be required to translate these innovations to the patient. This review presents the findings and progress of the AO Trauma Clinical Priority Program on the topic of bone infection.

Deriving a dose and regimen for anti-glucosaminidase antibody passive-immunisation for patients with Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) osteomyelitis remains a major clinical problem. Anti-glucosaminidase (Gmd) antibodies (1C11) are efficacious in prophylactic and therapeutic murine models. Feasibility, safety and pharmacokinetics of 1C11 passive immunisation in sheep and endogenous anti-Gmd levels were quantified in osteomyelitis patients. 3 sheep received a 500 mg intravenous (i.v.) bolus of 1C11 and its levels in sera were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) over 52 d. A humanised anti-Gmd monoclonal antibody, made by grafting the antigen-binding fragment (Fab) portion of 1C11 onto the fragment crystallisable region (Fc) of human IgG1, was used to make a standard curve of mean fluorescent intensity versus concentration of anti-Gmd. Anti-Gmd serum levels were determined in 297 patients with culture-confirmed S. aureus osteomyelitis and 40 healthy controls. No complications or adverse events were associated with the sheep 1C11 i.v. infusion and the estimated circulating half-life of 1C11 was 23.7 d. Endogenous anti-Gmd antibody levels in sera of osteomyelitis patients ranged from < 1 ng/mL to 300 µg/mL, with a mean concentration of 21.7 µg/mL. The estimated circulating half-life of endogenous anti-Gmd antibodies in sera of 12 patients with cured osteomyelitis was 120.4 d. A clinically relevant administration of anti-Gmd (500 mg i.v. = 7 mg/kg/70 kg human) was safe in sheep. This dose was 8 times more than the endogenous anti-Gmd levels observed in osteomyelitis patients and was predicted to have a half-life of > 3 weeks. Anti-Gmd passive immunisation has potential to prevent and treat S. aureus osteomyelitis. Further clinical development is warranted.

A murine femoral ostectomy model with hardware exchange to assess antibiotic-impregnated spacers for implant-associated osteomyelitis.

Implant-associated osteomyelitis is a chronic infection that complicates orthopaedic surgeries. Once infected, 50 % of patients suffer treatment failure, resulting in high healthcare costs. While various small animal models have been developed to investigate the efficacy of prophylactic and therapeutic treatments, the minute scale of murine-model bone and hardware has been prohibitive for evaluating interventions with a complete implant exchange in the setting of an infected critical defect. To address this, the aim of the present study was to develop a murine femur model in which an initial mid-diaphyseal infection was established by surgical implantation of a titanium screw contaminated with bioluminescent Staphylococcus aureus (Xen36). 7 d after the infection was established, an ostectomy was performed to remove the middle segment (3 mm flanking the infected screw hole) and a bone-cement spacer, with or without impregnated gentamicin, was secured with a plate and screws to fix the septic segmental defect. Longitudinal bioluminescent imaging revealed a significant decrease in Xen36 growth following one-stage revision, with the antibiotic-impregnated spacer treated systemically with vancomycin (p < 0.05). This result was corroborated by a significant decrease in colony forming units (CFU) recovered from spacer, bone, soft tissue and hardware 12 d post-operative (p < 0.05). However, ~ 105 CFU/g Xen36 still persisted within the bone despite a clinical therapeutic regimen. Therefore, the model enables the investigation of new therapeutic strategies to improve upon the current standard of care in a mouse model of implant-associated osteomyelitis that employs reconstruction of a critical defect.

A large animal model for a failed two-stage revision of intramedullary nail-related infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The treatment of chronic orthopaedic device-associated infection (ODRI) often requires multiple surgeries and prolonged antibiotic therapy. Despite this extensive treatment protocol, the procedure is associated with significant failure rates. Currently, no large animal model is available that recapitulates a failed revision. Therefore, our aim was to establish a large animal model for failed treatment of an ODRI in order to serve as a testbed for future interventional strategies. Adult Swiss Alpine sheep received an intramedullary nail in the tibia and a localised inoculum of either a methicillin-sensitive or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA, MRSA respectively). After 8 weeks, when chronic infection had been established, the animals underwent a staged revision with debridement and temporary placement of an antibiotic-loaded cement spacer. Antibiotics were delivered systemically in a standard or pathogen-adapted manner. Debridement and implant exchange alone failed to treat the MSSA infection. Neither local therapy alone nor systemic therapy alone were effective in resolving infection with MSSA, but a combination of local and systemic therapy was effective against it. MRSA infection was not resolved by the combination of local and systemic antibiotics (standard or pathogen-adapted). A model for failed revision of MRSA infection is described despite the use of local and systemic antibiotics. Novel interventions may be assessed using this model, including antibiotic and non-antibiotic interventions.

3D printed bioceramics for dual antibiotic delivery to treat implant-associated bone infection.

Surgical implant-associated bone infections (osteomyelitis) have severe clinical and socioeconomic consequences. Treatment of chronic bone infections often involves antibiotics given systemically and locally to the affected site in poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement. Given the high antibiotic concentrations required to affect bacteria in biofilm, local delivery is important to achieve high doses at the infection site. PMMA is not suitable to locally-deliver some biofilm-specific antibiotics, including rifampin, due to interference with PMMA polymerisation. To examine the efficacy of localised, combinational antibiotic delivery compared to PMMA standards, we fabricated rifampin- and vancomycin-laden calcium phosphate scaffolds (CPS) by three-dimensional (3D) printing to treat an implant-associated Staphylococcus aureus bone infection in a murine model. All vancomycin- and rifampin-laden CPS treatments significantly reduced the bacterial burden compared with vancomycin-laden PMMA. The bones were bacteria culture negative in 50 % of the mice that received sustained release vancomycin- and rifampin-laden CPS. In contrast, 100 % of the bones treated with vancomycin monotherapy using PMMA or CPS were culture positive. Yet, the monotherapy CPS significantly reduced the bacterial metabolic load following revision compared to PMMA. Biofilm persisted on the fixation hardware, but the infection-induced bone destruction was significantly reduced by local rifampin delivery. These data demonstrate that, despite the challenging implant-retaining infection model, co-delivery of rifampin and vancomycin from 3D printed CPS, which is not possible with PMMA, significantly improved the outcomes of implant-associated osteomyelitis. However, biofilm persistence on the fixation hardware reaffirms the importance of implant exchange or other biofilm eradication strategies to complement local antibiotics.

A systematic review of animal models for Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) osteomyelitis is a significant complication for orthopaedic patients undergoing surgery, particularly with fracture fixation and arthroplasty. Given the difficulty in studying S. aureus infections in human subjects, animal models serve an integral role in exploring the pathogenesis of osteomyelitis, and aid in determining the efficacy of prophylactic and therapeutic treatments. Animal models should mimic the clinical scenarios seen in patients as closely as possible to permit the experimental results to be translated to the corresponding clinical care. To help understand existing animal models of S. aureus, we conducted a systematic search of PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE to identify in vivo animal experiments that have investigated the management of S. aureus osteomyelitis in the context of fractures and metallic implants. In this review, experimental studies are categorised by animal species and are further classified by the setting of the infection. Study methods are summarised and the relevant advantages and disadvantages of each species and model are discussed. While no ideal animal model exists, the understanding of a model's strengths and limitations should assist clinicians and researchers to appropriately select an animal model to translate the conclusions to the clinical setting.

Investigation of the peak action wavelength of light-activated gene transduction.

Light-activated gene transduction (LAGT) is an approach to localize gene therapy via preactivation of cells with UV light, which facilitates transduction by recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors. Previous studies demonstrated that UVC induces LAGT secondary to pyrimidine dimer formation, whereas UVA induces LAGT secondary to reactive-oxygen species (ROS) generation. However, the empirical UVB boundary of these UV effects is unknown. Thus, we aimed to define the action spectra for UV-induced LAGT independent of DNA damage and determine an optimal wavelength to maximize safety and efficacy. UV at 288, 311 and 320 nm produced significant dose-dependent LAGT effects, of which the maximum (800-fold) was observed with 4 kJ m⁻² at 311 nm. Consistent with its robust cytotoxicity, 288 nm produced significantly high levels of DNA damage at all doses tested, whereas 311, 320 and 330 nm did not generate pyrimidine dimers and produced low levels of DNA damage detected by comet assay. Although 288 nm failed to induce ROS, the other wavelengths were effective, with the maximum (10-fold) effect observed with 30 kJ m⁻² at 311 nm. An in vivo pilot study assessing 311 nm-induced LAGT of rabbit articular chondrocytes demonstrated a significant 6.6-fold (P<0.05) increase in transduction with insignificant cytotoxicity. In conclusion, 311 nm was found to be the optimal wavelength for LAGT on the basis of its superior efficacy at the peak dose and its broad safety range that is remarkably wider than the other UV wavelengths tested.

The effect of etanercept on osteoclast precursor frequency and enhancing bone marrow oedema in patients with psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The frequency of osteoclast precursors (OCPF) and the presence of bone marrow oedema (BMO) are potential response biomarkers in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Previous studies suggest a central role for tumour necrosis factor (TNF) in the formation of osteoclast precursors. To better understand this association, the effect of etanercept on OCPF and BMO was analysed in PsA patients with erosive arthritis. METHODS: A total of 20 PsA patients with active erosive PsA were enrolled. Etanercept was administered twice weekly for 24 weeks. OCPF was measured and clinical assessments were performed at baseline, 2, 12 and 24 weeks. Gadolinium enhanced MR images were obtained at baseline and 24 weeks. RESULTS: Significant improvements in joint score (p<0.001), HAQ scores (p<0.001) and SF-36 parameters were observed after 6 months of therapy with etanercept compared to baseline. The median OCPF decreased from 24.5 to 9 (p = 0.04) and to 7 (p = 0.006) after 3 months and 6 months of treatment, respectively. MR images were available for 13 patients. The BMO volume decreased in 47 and increased in 31 sites at 6 months. No correlation was noted between OCPF, BMO and clinical parameters. CONCLUSION: The rapid decline in OCPF and overall improvement in BMO after anti-TNFalpha therapy provides one mechanism to explain the anti-erosive effects of TNF blockade in PsA. Persistence of BMO after etanercept treatment, despite a marked clinical response, was unexpected, and suggests ongoing subchondral inflammation or altered remodelling in PsA bone.

Constitutive phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha by casein kinase II occurs preferentially at serine 293: requirement for degradation of free IkappaBalpha.

IkappaBalpha is a phosphoprotein that sequesters the NF-kappaB/Rel transcription factors in the cytoplasm by physical association. Following induction by a wide variety of agents, IkappaBalpha is further phosphorylated and degraded, allowing NF-kappaB/Rel proteins to translocate to the nucleus and induce transcription. We have previously reported that the constitutive phosphorylation site resides in the C-terminal PEST region of IkappaBalpha and is phosphorylated by casein kinase II (CKII). Here we show that serine 293 is the preferred CKII phosphorylation site. Additionally, we show compensatory phosphorylation by CKII at neighboring serine and threonine residues. Thus, only when all five of the serine and threonine residues in the C-terminal region of IkappaBalpha are converted to alanine (MutF), is constitutive phosphorylation abolished. Finally, we show that constitutive phosphorylation is required for efficient degradation of free IkappaBalpha, in that unassociated Mutf has a half-life two times longer than wild-type IkappaBalpha. A serine residue alone at position 293, as well as aspartic acid at this position, can revert the Mutf phenotype. Therefore, the constitutive CKII phosphorylation site is an integral part of the PEST region of IkappaBalpha, and this phosphorylation is required for rapid proteolysis of the unassociated protein.

The Gene Ontology (GO) database and informatics resource.

The Gene Ontology (GO) project (http://www. geneontology.org/) provides structured, controlled vocabularies and classifications that cover several domains of molecular and cellular biology and are freely available for community use in the annotation of genes, gene products and sequences. Many model organism databases and genome annotation groups use the GO and contribute their annotation sets to the GO resource. The GO database integrates the vocabularies and contributed annotations and provides full access to this information in several formats. Members of the GO Consortium continually work collectively, involving outside experts as needed, to expand and update the GO vocabularies. The GO Web resource also provides access to extensive documentation about the GO project and links to applications that use GO data for functional analyses.

Tumor metastasis and the reciprocal regulation of prometastatic and antimetastatic factors by nuclear factor kappaB.

To investigate the role of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) in tumor metastasis, we generated a murine lung alveolar carcinoma cell line (Line 1) defective in NFkappaB-signaling by retroviral delivery of a dominant negative inhibitor of NFkappaB. The NFkappaB signal blockade resulted in the down-regulation of prometastatic matrix metalloproteinase 9, a urokinase-like plasminogen activator, and heparanase and reciprocal up-regulation of antimetastatic tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 2 and plasminogen activator inhibitor 2. NFkappaB signal blockade did not affect tumor cell proliferation in vitro or in vivo but prevented intravasation of tumor cells in an in vivo chick chorioallantoic membrane model of metastasis as well as spontaneous metastasis in a murine model. These findings suggest that NFkappaB plays a central and specific role in the regulation of tumor metastasis and may be an important therapeutic target for development of antimetastatic cancer treatments.

Understanding Haemonchus contortus Better Through Genomics and Transcriptomics.

Parasitic roundworms (nematodes) cause substantial mortality and morbidity in animals globally. The barber's pole worm, Haemonchus contortus, is one of the most economically significant parasitic nematodes of small ruminants worldwide. Although this and related nematodes can be controlled relatively well using anthelmintics, resistance against most drugs in common use has become a major problem. Until recently, almost nothing was known about the molecular biology of H. contortus on a global scale. This chapter gives a brief background on H. contortus and haemonchosis, immune responses, vaccine research, chemotherapeutics and current problems associated with drug resistance. It also describes progress in transcriptomics before the availability of H. contortus genomes and the challenges associated with such work. It then reviews major progress on the two draft genomes and developmental transcriptomes of H. contortus, and summarizes their implications for the molecular biology of this worm in both the free-living and the parasitic stages of its life cycle. The chapter concludes by considering how genomics and transcriptomics can accelerate research on Haemonchus and related parasites, and can enable the development of new interventions against haemonchosis.

Anomalous regulation of the Drosophila Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger by Ca2+.

The Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger from Drosophila was expressed in Xenopus and characterized electrophysiologically using the giant excised patch technique. This protein, termed Calx, shares 49% amino acid identity to the canine cardiac Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger, NCX1. Calx exhibits properties similar to previously characterized Na(+)-Ca2+ exchangers including intracellular Na+ affinities, current-voltage relationships, and sensitivity to the peptide inhibitor, XIP. However, the Drosophila Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger shows a completely opposite response to cytoplasmic Ca2+. Previously cloned Na(+)-Ca2+ exchangers (NCX1 and NCX2) are stimulated by cytoplasmic Ca2+ in the micromolar range (0.1-10 microM). This stimulation of exchange current is mediated by occupancy of a regulatory Ca2+ binding site separate from the Ca2+ transport site. In contrast, Calx is inhibited by cytoplasmic Ca2+ over this same concentration range. The inhibition of exchange current is evident for both forward and reverse modes of transport. The characteristics of the inhibition are consistent with the binding of Ca2+ at a regulatory site distinct from the transport site. These data provide a rational basis for subsequent structure-function studies targeting the intracellular Ca2+ regulatory mechanism.

Adeno-associated vector mediated gene transfer of transforming growth factor-beta1 to normal and osteoarthritic human chondrocytes stimulates cartilage anabolism.

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether cartilage anabolism in human primary osteoarthritic chondrocytes could be improved by adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated gene transduction of transforming growth factor TGF-beta1 (TGF-beta1). A bi-cistronic AAV-TGF-beta1-IRES-eGFP (AAV-TGF-beta1) vector was generated and used for transduction of a normal human articular chondrocyte cell line (tsT/AC62) and primary human osteoarthritic articular chondrocytes harvested from 8 patients receiving total knee joint arthroplasty. Transduction efficiency was detected by fluorescent microscopy for gene expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP). TGF-beta1 synthesis was determined by ELISA. To assess the influence of TGF-beta1 gene therapy on chondrocyte cartilage metabolism, mRNA expressions of type II collagen, aggrecan, and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. AAV-TGF-beta1 transduction resulted in increased synthesis of TGF-beta1 in both osteoarthritic chondrocytes and the normal articular chondrocyte cell line. The expression levels of the transduced genes were correlated to "multiplicity of infection" (MOI) and post-infectious time. In both osteoarthritic chondrocytes and the normal articular chondrocyte cell line, AAV-TGF-beta1 treatment increased mRNA expression of both type II collagen and aggrecan, but decreased MMP-3 mRNA expression. Osteoarthritic chondrocytes and the normal articular chondrocyte cell line could be transduced with equal efficiencies. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that AAV-TGF-beta1 gene transfer stimulates cartilage anabolism and decreases expression of enzymes responsible for cartilage degradation in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes. The results indicate that the AAV vector is an efficient mediator of growth factors to human articular chondrocytes, and that it might be useful in future chondrocyte gene therapy.

Efficacy of etanercept for wear debris-induced osteolysis.

A major limitation of total joint arthroplasty is that up to 20% of patients require revision surgery to correct prosthetic loosening. Aseptic loosening is believed to result from the phagocytosis of wear debris particles by macrophages, which secrete proinflammatory cytokines that stimulate osteolysis. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) has been shown to be one of the prominent cytokines in this cascade and to be involved critically in the generation of particle-induced osteolysis. Etanercept is a soluble inhibitor of TNF-alpha, which is widely used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we show this agent's ability to prevent wear debris-induced osteolysis. In vitro we show that Etanercept can inhibit directly osteoclastic bone resorption in a bone wafer pit assay, as well as cytokine production from titanium (Ti)-stimulated macrophages. Using a quantitative in vivo model of wear debris-induced osteolysis, we show that Etanercept prevents bone resorption and osteoclastogenesis. In mice treated with Etanercept at the time of osteolysis induction, bone resorption and osteoclast numbers were reduced to background levels in both normal and human TNF-alpha (hTNF-alpha) transgenic mice. In an effort to evaluate its effect on established osteolysis, Etanercept was administered 5 days after Ti implantation, and we observed that further osteolysis was prevented. These data support the concept that TNF-alpha is involved critically in osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption during periprosthetic osteolysis and suggest that soluble TNF-alpha inhibitors may be useful as therapeutic agents for the treatment of prosthetic loosening in humans.

Evidence for a direct role of cyclo-oxygenase 2 in implant wear debris-induced osteolysis.

Aseptic loosening is a major complication of prosthetic joint surgery and is manifested as chronic inflammation, pain, and osteolysis at the bone implant interface. The osteolysis is believed to be driven by a host inflammatory response to wear debris generated from the implant. In our current study, we use a selective inhibitor (celecoxib) of cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) and mice that lack either COX-1 (COX-1-/-) or COX-2 (COX-2-/-) to show that COX-2, but not COX-1, plays an important role in wear debris-induced osteolysis. Titanium (Ti) wear debris was implanted surgically onto the calvaria of the mice. An intense inflammatory reaction and extensive bone resorption, which closely resembles that observed in patients with aseptic loosening, developed within 10 days of implantation in wild-type and COX-1-/- mice. COX-2 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production increased in the calvaria and inflammatory tissue overlying it after Ti implantation. Celecoxib (25 mg/kg per day) significantly reduced the inflammation, the local PGE2 production, and osteolysis. In comparison with wild-type and COX-1-/- mice, COX-2-/- mice implanted with Ti had a significantly reduced calvarial bone resorption response, independent of the inflammatory response, and significantly fewer osteoclasts were formed from cultures of their bone marrow cells. These results provide direct evidence that COX-2 is an important mediator of wear debris-induced osteolysis and suggests that COX-2 inhibitors are potential therapeutic agents for the prevention of wear debris-induced osteolysis.

Smad2 and 3 mediate transforming growth factor-beta1-induced inhibition of chondrocyte maturation.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a multifunctional regulator of a variety of cellular functions, including proliferation, differentiation, matrix synthesis, and apoptosis. In growth plate chondrocytes, TGF-beta slows the rate of maturation. Because the current paradigm of TGF-beta signaling involves Smad proteins as downstream regulators of target genes, we have characterized their role as mediators of TGF-beta effects on chondrocyte maturation. Both Smad2 and 3 translocated to the nucleus upon TGF-beta1 signaling, but not upon BMP-2 signaling. Cotransfection experiments using the TGF-beta responsive and Smad3 sensitive p3TP-Lux luciferase reporter demonstrated that wild-type Smad3 potentiated, whereas dominant negative Smad3 inhibited TGF-beta1 induced luciferase activity. To confirm the role of Smad2 and 3 as essential mediators of TGF-beta1 effects on chondrocyte maturation, we overexpressed both wild-type and dominant negative Smad2 and 3 in virally infected chondrocyte cultures. Overexpression of both wild-type Smad2 and 3 potentiated the inhibitory effect of TGF-beta on chondrocyte maturation, as determined by colx and alkaline phosphatase activity, whereas dominant negative Smad2 and 3 blocked these effects. Wild-type and dominant negative forms of Smad3 had more pronounced effects than Smad2. Our results define Smad2 and 3 as key mediators of the inhibitory effect of TGF-beta1 signaling on chondrocyte maturation.

The role of autocrine growth factors in radiation damage to the epiphyseal growth plate.

Radiation therapy plays an important role as part of the multimodality treatment for a number of childhood malignancies. Dose-limiting complications of radiotherapy include skeletal abnormalities and disturbances in skeletal development within the irradiated field. The current study was undertaken to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in radiation-induced arrest of bone growth. Our hypotheses were: (1) Expression of autocrine growth factors that regulate chondrocyte proliferation is inhibited by radiation in a specific pattern; (2) the disparity in radiosensitivity of growth plate chondrocytes and epiphyseal chondrocytes is due to differential modulation of autocrine growth factor expression by radiation. Given the important role these cells play in skeletal growth and development, we examined the comparative effects of radiation on expression of specific mitogenic growth factors in growth plate chondrocytes. The effect of radiation on the expression of autocrine/paracrine growth factors was examined in an established avian model of epiphyseal growth plate maturation. Exposure of growth plate chondrocytes to radiation resulted in a specific pattern of biochemical and morphological alterations that were dependent on dose and were progressive over time. While radiation did not affect the mRNA expression of some of the autocrine and paracrine factors important in endochondral ossification (such as FGF2 and TGFB isoforms), it did lead to a decrease in the mRNA expression of PTHrP, a critically important mitogen in growth plate chondrocytes, and a dose-dependent decrease in the PTH/PTHrP receptor mRNA. Interestingly, PTHrP mRNA levels were not affected in irradiated epiphyseal chondrocytes, the main source of PTHrP. Given evidence indicating a role for intracellular calcium levels in regulating PTHrP expression, basal calcium levels in irradiated growth plate chondrocytes and epiphyseal chondrocytes were examined 24 h after treatment. While cytosolic calcium levels were significantly higher in irradiated growth plate chondrocytes, they were not significantly affected in irradiated epiphyseal chondrocytes. The importance of calcium in mediating radiation damage to growth plate chondrocytes was further demonstrated by the finding that the addition of 4.0 mM EGTA (a calcium chelator) to the cell cultures before irradiation prevented the decrease in PTHrP mRNA levels. Since PTHrP up-regulates BCL2 levels and prevents growth plate chondrocyte maturation and apoptosis, BCL2 mRNA levels were examined in irradiated growth plate chondrocytes, and a dose-dependent decrease was found. An increase in apoptosis was further confirmed by a fivefold increase in caspase 3 levels in irradiated growth plate chondrocytes. The results of the current study suggest that radiation may interfere with proliferation of growth plate chondrocytes in part by causing an increase in cytosolic calcium levels which in turn leads to a decrease in PTHrP mRNA. Growth plate chondrocyte PTHrP receptor mRNA expression is also inhibited by radiation, further decreasing PTHrP signaling. Despite subtle differences between the chick and mammalian growth plates, further studies should provide an enhanced understanding of the mechanism(s) of radiation injury to the growth plate, as well as possibilities for new therapeutic strategies to protect the growing skeleton from the detrimental effects of radiotherapy.

Quantitative small-animal surrogate to evaluate drug efficacy in preventing wear debris-induced osteolysis.

Individuals who suffer from severe joint destruction caused by the various arthritidies often undergo total joint arthroplasty. A major limitation of this treatment is the development of aseptic loosening of the prosthesis in as many as 20% of patients. The current paradigm to explain aseptic loosening proposes that wear debris generated from the prosthesis initiates a macrophage-mediated inflammatory response by resident macrophages, leading to osteoclast activation and bone resorption at the implant interface. No therapeutic interventions have been proved to prevent or inhibit aseptic loosening. The development of therapeutic strategies is limited due to the absence of a quantitative surrogate in which drugs can be screened rapidly in large numbers of animals. We have previously described a model in which titanium particles implanted on mouse calvaria induce an inflammatory response with osteolysis similar to that observed in clinical aseptic loosening. Here, we present new methods by which the osteolysis in this model can be quantified. We determined that 6-8-week-old mice in normal health have a sagittal suture area of 50 (+/-6) microm2, which contains approximately five osteoclasts. As a result of the titanium-induced inflammation and osteolysis, the sagittal suture area increases to 197 (+/-27) microm2, with approximately 30 osteoclasts, after 10 days of treatment. The sagittal suture area and the number of osteoclasts in the calvaria of sham-treated mice remained unchanged during the 10 days. We also determined the effects of pentoxifylline, a drug that blocks the responses of tumor necrosis factor-alpha to wear debris, and the osteoclast inhibitor alendronate. We found that both drugs effectively block wear debris-induced osteolysis but not osteoclastogenesis. In conclusion, we found the measurements made with this model to be reproducible and to permit quantitative analysis of agents that are to be screened for their potential to prevent aseptic loosening.