Protein kinase Cα (PKCα) regulates bone architecture and osteoblast activity.

Bones' strength is achieved and maintained through adaptation to load bearing. The role of the protein kinase PKCα in this process has not been previously reported. However, we observed a phenotype in the long bones of Prkca(-/-) female but not male mice, in which bone tissue progressively invades the medullary cavity in the mid-diaphysis. This bone deposition progresses with age and is prevented by disuse but unaffected by ovariectomy. Castration of male Prkca(-/-) but not WT mice results in the formation of small amounts of intramedullary bone. Osteoblast differentiation markers and Wnt target gene expression were up-regulated in osteoblast-like cells derived from cortical bone of female Prkca(-/-) mice compared with WT. Additionally, although osteoblastic cells derived from WT proliferate following exposure to estradiol or mechanical strain, those from Prkca(-/-) mice do not. Female Prkca(-/-) mice develop splenomegaly and reduced marrow GBA1 expression reminiscent of Gaucher disease, in which PKC involvement has been suggested previously. From these data, we infer that in female mice, PKCα normally serves to prevent endosteal bone formation stimulated by load bearing. This phenotype appears to be suppressed by testicular hormones in male Prkca(-/-) mice. Within osteoblastic cells, PKCα enhances proliferation and suppresses differentiation, and this regulation involves the Wnt pathway. These findings implicate PKCα as a target gene for therapeutic approaches in low bone mass conditions.

Estrogen receptor α mediates proliferation of osteoblastic cells stimulated by estrogen and mechanical strain, but their acute down-regulation of the Wnt antagonist Sost is mediated by estrogen receptor ß.

Mechanical strain and estrogens both stimulate osteoblast proliferation through estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated effects, and both down-regulate the Wnt antagonist Sost/sclerostin. Here, we investigate the differential effects of ERα and -ß in these processes in mouse long bone-derived osteoblastic cells and human Saos-2 cells. Recruitment to the cell cycle following strain or 17ß-estradiol occurs within 30 min, as determined by Ki-67 staining, and is prevented by the ERα antagonist 1,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methyl-5-[4-(2-piperidinylethoxy)phenol]-1H-pyrazole dihydrochloride. ERß inhibition with 4-[2-phenyl-5,7-bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1,5-ß]pyrimidin-3-yl] phenol (PTHPP) increases basal proliferation similarly to strain or estradiol. Both strain and estradiol down-regulate Sost expression, as does in vitro inhibition or in vivo deletion of ERα. The ERß agonists 2,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionitrile and ERB041 also down-regulated Sost expression in vitro, whereas the ERα agonist 4,4',4″-[4-propyl-(1H)-pyrazol-1,3,5-triyl]tris-phenol or the ERß antagonist PTHPP has no effect. Tamoxifen, a nongenomic ERß agonist, down-regulates Sost expression in vitro and in bones in vivo. Inhibition of both ERs with fulvestrant or selective antagonism of ERß, but not ERα, prevents Sost down-regulation by strain or estradiol. Sost down-regulation by strain or ERß activation is prevented by MEK/ERK blockade. Exogenous sclerostin has no effect on estradiol-induced proliferation but prevents that following strain. Thus, in osteoblastic cells the acute proliferative effects of both estradiol and strain are ERα-mediated. Basal Sost down-regulation follows decreased activity of ERα and increased activity of ERß. Sost down-regulation by strain or increased estrogens is mediated by ERß, not ERα. ER-targeting therapy may facilitate structurally appropriate bone formation by enhancing the distinct ligand-independent, strain-related contributions to proliferation of both ERα and ERß.

Loading-related regulation of transcription factor EGR2/Krox-20 in bone cells is ERK1/2 protein-mediated and prostaglandin, Wnt signaling pathway-, and insulin-like growth factor-I axis-dependent.

Of the 1,328 genes revealed by microarray to be differentially regulated by disuse, or at 8 h following a single short period of osteogenic loading of the mouse tibia, analysis by predicting associated transcription factors from annotated affinities revealed the transcription factor EGR2/Krox-20 as being more closely associated with more pathways and functions than any other. Real time quantitative PCR confirmed up-regulation of Egr2 mRNA expression by loading of the tibia in vivo. In vitro studies where strain was applied to primary cultures of mouse tibia-derived osteoblastic cells and the osteoblast UMR106 cell line also showed up-regulation of Egr2 mRNA expression. In UMR106 cells, inhibition of ß1/ß3 integrin function had no effect on strain-related Egr2 expression, but it was inhibited by a COX2-selective antagonist and imitated by exogenous prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). This response to PGE(2) was mediated chiefly through the EP1 receptor and involved stimulation of PKC and attenuation by cAMP/PKA. Neither activators nor inhibitors of nitric oxide, estrogen signaling, or LiCl had any effect on Egr2 mRNA expression, but it was increased by both insulin-like growth factor-1 and high, but not low, dose parathyroid hormone and exogenous Wnt-3a. The increases by strain, PGE2, Wnt-3a, and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate were attenuated by inhibition of MEK-1. EGR2 appears to be involved in many of the signaling pathways that constitute early responses of bone cells to strain. These pathways all have multiple functions. Converting their strain-related responses into coherent "instructions" for adaptive (re)modeling is likely to depend upon their contextual activation, suppression, and interaction probably on more than one occasion.

Improbable appendages: Deer antler renewal as a unique case of mammalian regeneration.

Deer antlers are periodically replaced cranial appendages that develop from permanent outgrowths of the frontal bones known as pedicles. Antler re-growth is a unique regenerative event in mammals which in general are unable to replace bony appendages. Recent evidence suggests that antler regeneration is a stem cell-based process that depends on the activation of stem cells located in the pedicle periosteum which are presumed to be neural crest-derived. It has been demonstrated that several developmental pathways are involved in antler regeneration that are also known to play a role in the control of skeletal development and regeneration in other vertebrates. However, in contrast to most other natural examples of regeneration of complete body structures, antler regeneration apparently neither depends on a functional nerve supply nor involves a direct contact between wound epithelium and mesenchymal tissue. Antlers thus demonstrate that regeneration of a large bony appendage in a mammal can be achieved by a process that differs in certain aspects from epimorphic regeneration in lower vertebrates.

Mechano-transduction in osteoblastic cells involves strain-regulated estrogen receptor alpha-mediated control of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I receptor sensitivity to Ambient IGF, leading to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT-dependent Wnt/LRP5 receptor-independent activation of beta-catenin signaling.

The capacity of bones to adjust their mass and architecture to withstand the loads of everyday activity derives from the ability of their resident cells to respond appropriately to the strains engendered. To elucidate the mechanisms of strain responsiveness in bone cells, we investigated in vitro the responses of primary mouse osteoblasts and UMR-106 osteoblast-like cells to a single period of dynamic strain. This stimulates a cascade of events, including activation of insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-mediated phosphorylation of AKT, inhibition of GSK-3beta, increased activation of beta-catenin, and associated lymphoid-enhancing factor/T cell factor-mediated transcription. Initiation of this pathway does not involve the Wnt/LRP5/Frizzled receptor and does not culminate in increased IGF transcription. The effect of strain on IGF-IR is mimicked by exogenous des-(1-3)IGF-I and is blocked by the IGF-IR inhibitor H1356. Inhibition of strain-related prostanoid and nitric oxide production inhibits strain-related (and basal) AKT activity, but their separate ectopic administration does not mimic it. Strain-related IGF-IR activation of AKT requires estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) with which IGF-1R physically associates. The ER blocker ICI 182,780 increases the concentration of des-(1-3)IGF-I necessary to activate this cascade, whereas estrogen inhibits both basal AKT activity and its activation by des-(1-3)IGF-I. These data suggest an initial cascade of strain-related events in osteoblasts in which strain activates IGF-IR, in association with ERalpha, so initiating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT-dependent activation of beta-catenin and altered lymphoid-enhancing factor/T cell factor transcription. This cascade requires prostanoid/nitric oxide production and is independent of Wnt/LRP5.

Role of endocrine and paracrine factors in the adaptation of bone to mechanical loading.

There appears to be no unique mechanically sensitive pathway by which changes in bone loading regulate bone mass and architecture to ensure adequate structural strength. Rather, strain-derived changes in bone cells activate a number of nonspecific strain-sensitive pathways (including calcium fluxes, prostanoids, nitric oxide, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and sclerostin), the activities of which are modified by a number of factors (including estrogen receptors) for which this contribution is subsidiary to other purposes. The strain-sensitive pathways modified by these factors interact with a number of other pathways, some of which appear to have specific osteoregulatory potential (eg, the parathyroid hormone pathway), whereas others such as the Wnt pathway appear to be associated primarily with the response mechanisms of proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. The outcome of these multiple interactions are stimuli for local bone formation, resorption, or maintenance of the status quo, to maintain existing bone architecture or adapt it to a new mechanical regimen.

Bone gain following loading is site-specifically enhanced by prior and concurrent disuse in aged male mice.

The primary aim of osteoanabolic therapies is to strategically increase bone mass in skeletal regions likely to experience high strains. In the young healthy skeleton, this is primarily achieved by bone's adaptation to loading. This adaptation appears to fail with age, resulting in osteoporosis and fractures. We previously demonstrated that prior and concurrent disuse enhances bone gain following loading in old female mice. Here, we applied site specificity micro-computed tomography analysis to map regional differences in bone anabolic responses to axial loading of the tibia between young (19-week-old) and aged (19-month-old), male and female mice. Loading increased bone mass specifically in the proximal tibia in both sexes and ages. Young female mice gained more cortical bone than young males in specific regions of the tibia. However, these site-specific sex differences were lost with age such that bone gain following loading was not significantly different between old males and females. To test whether disuse enhances functional adaption in old male mice as it does in females, old males were subjected to sciatic neurectomy or sham surgery, and loading was initiated four days after surgery. Disuse augmented tibial cortical bone gain in response to loading in old males, but only in regions which were load-responsive in the young. Prior and concurrent disuse also increased loading-induced trabecular thickening in the proximal tibia of old males. Understanding how diminished background loading rejuvenates the osteogenic loading response in the old may improve osteogenic exercise regimes and lead to novel osteoanabolic therapies.

Mechanical strain-mediated reduction in RANKL expression is associated with RUNX2 and BRD2.

Mechanical loading-related strains trigger bone formation by osteoblasts while suppressing resorption by osteoclasts, uncoupling the processes of formation and resorption. Osteocytes may orchestrate this process in part by secreting sclerostin (SOST), which inhibits osteoblasts, and expressing receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL/TNFSF11) which recruits osteoclasts. Both SOST and RANKL are targets of the master osteoblastic transcription factor RUNX2. Subjecting human osteoblastic Saos-2 cells to strain by four point bending down-regulates their expression of SOST and RANKL without altering RUNX2 expression. RUNX2 knockdown increases basal SOST expression, but does not alter SOST down-regulation following strain. Conversely, RUNX2 knockdown does not alter basal RANKL expression, but prevents its down-regulation by strain. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed RUNX2 occupies a region of the RANKL promoter containing a consensus RUNX2 binding site and its occupancy of this site decreases following strain. The expression of epigenetic acetyl and methyl writers and readers was quantified by RT-qPCR to investigate potential epigenetic bases for this change. Strain and RUNX2 knockdown both down-regulate expression of the bromodomain acetyl reader BRD2. BRD2 and RUNX2 co-immunoprecipitate, suggesting interaction within regulatory complexes, and BRD2 was confirmed to interact with the RUNX2 promoter. BRD2 also occupies the RANKL promoter and its occupancy was reduced following exposure to strain. Thus, RUNX2 may contribute to bone remodeling by suppressing basal SOST expression, while facilitating the acute strain-induced down-regulation of RANKL through a mechanosensitive epigenetic loop involving BRD2.

Mechanical strain-mediated reduction in RANKL expression is associated with RUNX2 and BRD2.

Mechanical loading-related strains trigger bone formation by osteoblasts while suppressing resorption by osteoclasts, uncoupling the processes of formation and resorption. Osteocytes may orchestrate this process in part by secreting sclerostin (SOST), which inhibits osteoblasts, and expressing receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL/TNFSF11) which recruits osteoclasts. Both SOST and RANKL are targets of the master osteoblastic transcription factor RUNX2. Subjecting human osteoblastic Saos-2 cells to strain by four point bending down-regulates their expression of SOST and RANKL without altering RUNX2 expression. RUNX2 knockdown increases basal SOST expression, but does not alter SOST down-regulation following strain. Conversely, RUNX2 knockdown does not alter basal RANKL expression, but prevents its down-regulation by strain. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed RUNX2 occupies a region of the RANKL promoter containing a consensus RUNX2 binding site and its occupancy of this site decreases following strain. The expression of epigenetic acetyl and methyl writers and readers was quantified by RT-qPCR to investigate potential epigenetic bases for this change. Strain and RUNX2 knockdown both down-regulate expression of the bromodomain acetyl reader BRD2. BRD2 and RUNX2 co-immunoprecipitate, suggesting interaction within regulatory complexes, and BRD2 was confirmed to interact with the RUNX2 promoter. BRD2 also occupies the RANKL promoter and its occupancy was reduced following exposure to strain. Thus, RUNX2 may contribute to bone remodeling by suppressing basal SOST expression, while facilitating the acute strain-induced down-regulation of RANKL through a mechanosensitive epigenetic loop involving BRD2.

Exercise during training is associated with racing performance in Thoroughbreds.

This study aimed to determine the effects of exercise on racecourse performance in horses racing on the flat. Daily exercise and race records were obtained over a 2-year period for a cohort of racehorses in training for which injury data were also available. Multivariable regression techniques were used to investigate associations between canter, training gallop and race distances accumulated in the 30 days prior to each race and the odds of winning the race, earning prize money and the amount of prize money won. Higher cumulative high-speed (gallop+race) distances were associated with increased likelihood of winning a race and earning prize money. Having raced in the previous 30 days increased the odds of winning. There was an interactive effect of distance cantered and galloped during training on amount of prize money won, which was also associated with distance raced in the previous 30 days. Taken together with findings from previous injury studies in the same study population, these results indicate that training regimens designed to reduce skeletal injuries are unlikely to adversely affect race performance.

Mechanical loading enhances the anabolic effects of intermittent parathyroid hormone (1-34) on trabecular and cortical bone in mice.

The separate and combined effects of intermittent parathyroid hormone (iPTH) (1-34) and mechanical loading were assessed at trabecular and cortical sites of mouse long bones. Female C57BL/6 mice from 13 to 19 weeks of age were given daily injections of vehicle or PTH (1-34) at low (20 microg/kg/day), medium (40 microg/kg/day) or high (80 microg/kg/day) dose. For three alternate days per week during the last two weeks of this treatment, the tibiae and ulnae on one side were subjected to a single period of non-invasive, dynamic axial loading (40 cycles at 10 Hz with 10-second intervals between each cycle). Two levels of peak load were used; one sufficient to engender an osteogenic response, and the other insufficient to do so. The whole tibiae and ulnae were analyzed post-mortem by micro-computed tomography with a resolution of 5 microm. Treatment with iPTH (1-34) modified bone structure in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which was particularly evident in the trabecular region of the proximal tibia. In the tibia, loading at a level sufficient by itself to stimulate osteogenesis produced an osteogenic response in the low-dose iPTH (1-34)-treated trabecular bone and in the proximal and middle cortical bone treated with all doses of iPTH (1-34). In the ulna, loading at a level that did not by itself stimulate osteogenesis was osteogenic at the distal site when combined with high-dose iPTH (1-34). At both levels of loading, there were synergistic effects in cortical bone volume of the proximal tibia and distal ulna between loading and high-dose iPTH (1-34). Images of fluorescently labelled bones confirmed that such synergism resulted from increases in both endosteal and periosteal bone formation. No woven bone was induced by iPTH (1-34) or either level of loading alone, whereas the combination of iPTH (1-34) and the "sufficient" level of loading stimulated woven bone formation on endosteal and periosteal surfaces of the proximal cortex in the tibiae. Together, these data suggest that in female C57BL/6 mice, under some but not all circumstances, mechanical loading exerts an osteogenic response with iPTH (1-34) in trabecular and cortical bone.

Fracture rate in Thoroughbred racehorses is affected by dam age and parity.

This study's aim was to determine the effects of dam age and parity on the rate of fracture in offspring in Thoroughbred racehorses in training for flat racing. It was hypothesised that first foals and those from older mares would have a higher fracture rate than subsequent foals and those from younger mares. A two-year observational cohort study collected data from eight trainers on 335 horses that were monitored since the start of their training as yearlings. Multivariable Poisson regression analyses showed that first foals had a significantly lower fracture rate than subsequent ones (RR=0.33; 95% CI=0.12, 0.89; P=0.02) and rate of fracture decreased with increasing dam age (RR=0.91 per year increase in dam age; 95% CI=0.83, 0.99; P=0.03). This study shows for the first time that the rate of equine injury may be influenced by factors that affect skeletal development. Further research on intra-uterine and peri-natal determinants of injury risk in later life in horses is needed.

Sclerostin's role in bone's adaptive response to mechanical loading.

Mechanical loading is the primary functional determinant of bone mass and architecture, and osteocytes play a key role in translating mechanical signals into (re)modelling responses. Although the precise mechanisms remain unclear, Wnt signalling pathway components, and the anti-osteogenic canonical Wnt inhibitor Sost/sclerostin in particular, play an important role in regulating bone's adaptive response to loading. Increases in loading-engendered strains down-regulate osteocyte sclerostin expression, whereas reduced strains, as in disuse, are associated with increased sclerostin production and bone loss. However, while sclerostin up-regulation appears to be necessary for the loss of bone with disuse, the role of sclerostin in the osteogenic response to loading is more complex. While mice unable to down-regulate sclerostin do not gain bone with loading, Sost knockout mice have an enhanced osteogenic response to loading. The molecular mechanisms by which osteocytes sense and transduce loading-related stimuli into changes in sclerostin expression remain unclear but include several, potentially interlinked, signalling cascades involving periostin/integrin, prostaglandin, estrogen receptor, calcium/NO and Igf signalling. Deciphering the mechanisms by which changes in the mechanical environment regulate sclerostin production may lead to the development of therapeutic strategies that can reverse the skeletal structural deterioration characteristic of disuse and age-related osteoporosis and enhance bones' functional adaptation to loading. By enhancing the osteogenic potential of the context in which individual therapies such as sclerostin antibodies act it may become possible to both prevent and reverse the age-related skeletal structural deterioration characteristic of osteoporosis.

Old age and the associated impairment of bones' adaptation to loading are associated with transcriptomic changes in cellular metabolism, cell-matrix interactions and the cell cycle.

In old animals, bone's ability to adapt its mass and architecture to functional load-bearing requirements is diminished, resulting in bone loss characteristic of osteoporosis. Here we investigate transcriptomic changes associated with this impaired adaptive response. Young adult (19-week-old) and aged (19-month-old) female mice were subjected to unilateral axial tibial loading and their cortical shells harvested for microarray analysis between 1h and 24h following loading (36 mice per age group, 6 mice per loading group at 6 time points). In non-loaded aged bones, down-regulated genes are enriched for MAPK, Wnt and cell cycle components, including E2F1. E2F1 is the transcription factor most closely associated with genes down-regulated by ageing and is down-regulated at the protein level in osteocytes. Genes up-regulated in aged bone are enriched for carbohydrate metabolism, TNFα and TGFß superfamily components. Loading stimulates rapid and sustained transcriptional responses in both age groups. However, genes related to proliferation are predominantly up-regulated in the young and down-regulated in the aged following loading, whereas those implicated in bioenergetics are down-regulated in the young and up-regulated in the aged. Networks of inter-related transcription factors regulated by E2F1 are loading-responsive in both age groups. Loading regulates genes involved in similar signalling cascades in both age groups, but these responses are more sustained in the young than aged. From this we conclude that cells in aged bone retain the capability to sense and transduce loading-related stimuli, but their ability to translate acute responses into functionally relevant outcomes is diminished.

Parathyroid hormone's enhancement of bones' osteogenic response to loading is affected by ageing in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Decreased effectiveness of bones' adaptive response to mechanical loading contributes to age-related bone loss. In young mice, intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone (iPTH) at 20-80µg/kg/day interacts synergistically with artificially applied loading to increase bone mass. Here we report investigations on the effect of different doses and duration of iPTH treatment on mice whose osteogenic response to artificial loading is impaired by age. One group of aged, 19-month-old female C57BL/6 mice was given 0, 25, 50 or 100µg/kg/day iPTH for 4weeks. Histological and µCT analysis of their tibiae revealed potent iPTH dose-related increases in periosteally-enclosed area, cortical area and porosity with decreased cortical thickness. There was practically no effect on trabecular bone. Another group was given a submaximal dose of 50µg/kg/day iPTH or vehicle for 2 or 6weeks with loading of their right tibia three times per week for the final 2weeks. In the trabecular bone of these mice the loading-related increase in BV/TV was abrogated by iPTH primarily by reduction of the increase in trabecular number. In their cortical bone, iPTH treatment time-dependently increased cortical porosity. Loading partially reduced this effect. The osteogenic effects of iPTH and loading on periosteally-enclosed area and cortical area were additive but not synergistic. Thus in aged, unlike young mice, iPTH and loading appear to have separate effects. iPTH alone causes a marked increase in cortical porosity which loading reduces. Both iPTH and loading have positive effects on cortical periosteal bone formation but these are additive rather than synergistic.

Osteocytes use estrogen receptor alpha to respond to strain but their ERalpha content is regulated by estrogen.

UNLABELLED: The role of mechanical strain and estrogen status in regulating ERalpha levels in bone cells was studied in female rats. OVX is associated with decreased ERalpha protein expression/osteocyte, whereas habitual strain and artificial loading has only a small but positive effect, except on the ulna's medial surface, where artificial loading stimulates reversal of resorption to formation. INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is the most widespread failure of bones' ability to match their architectural strength to their habitual load bearing. In men and women, the severity of bone loss is associated with bioavailability of estrogen. This association could result from the estrogen receptor (ER) involvement in bone cells' adaptive response to loading. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vivo semiquantitative analysis of the amount of ERalpha protein per osteocyte was performed in immuno-cytochemically stained sections from control and loaded rat ulna, as well as tibias of ovariectomy (OVX) and sham-operated female rats. In vitro, the effect of exogenous estrogen (10(-8) M) and mechanical strain (3400 microepsilon, 1 Hz, 600 cycles) on the expression of ERalpha mRNA levels was assessed in ROS 17/2.8 cells in monolayers using real-time PCR and ER promoter activity. ERalpha translocation in response to exogenous estrogen and mechanical strain was assessed in both ROS 17/2.8 and MLO-Y4 cells. RESULTS: More than 90 percent of tibial osteocytes express ERalpha, the level/osteocyte being higher in cortical than cancellous bone. OVX is associated with decreased ERalpha protein expression/osteocyte, whereas in the ulna habitual strain and that caused by artificial loading had only a small but positive effect, except on the medial surface, where loading stimulates reversal of resorption to formation. In unstimulated osteocytes and osteoblasts in situ, and osteocyte-like and osteoblast-like cells in vitro, ERalpha is predominantly cytoplasmic. In vitro, both strain and estrogen stimulate transient ERalpha translocation to the nucleus and transient changes in ERalpha mRNA. Strain but not estrogen also induces discrete membrane localization of ERalpha. CONCLUSIONS: Bone cells' responses to both strain and estrogen involve ERalpha, but only estrogen regulates its cellular concentration. This is consistent with the hypothesis that bone loss associated with estrogen deficiency is a consequence of reduction in ERalpha number/activity associated with lower estrogen concentration reducing the effectiveness of bone cells' anabolic response to strain.

Relationship between stages of the estrous cycle and bone cell activity in Thoroughbreds.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between stage of estrous cycle and bone cell activity in Thoroughbreds. SAMPLE POPULATION: Blood samples collected from forty-seven 2-year-old Thoroughbred mares in training for racing. PROCEDURES: Blood samples were collected monthly (in April through September) from the mares. Stage of estrus was determined by assessing serum progesterone concentration. Bone cell activity was determined by measuring concentrations of 2 markers of bone formation (osteocalcin and the carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I collagen [PICP]) and a marker of bone resorption (the cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen [ICTP]) in sera. RESULTS: When the relationship between stage of the estrous cycle and markers of bone cell activity was examined, serum concentrations of both osteocalcin and ICTP were significantly higher in mares that were in the luteal phase, compared with mares that were at other stages of the estrous cycle. Stage of estrus did not affect serum PICP concentration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicate that bone cell activity in Thoroughbred mares fluctuates during the estrous cycle; serum concentrations of markers of bone formation and bone resorption are increased during the luteal phase. Further studies are required to determine whether these changes are of clinical importance and increase the risk of injury for mares in training during the breeding season. As in humans, stage of estrus must be considered as a source of uncontrollable variability in serum bone marker concentrations in horses.

A scanning electron microscopy study of idiopathic external tooth resorption in the cat.

BACKGROUND: Multiple idiopathic root resorption (MIRR) is a rare condition in man characterized by cervical resorption leading to significant tooth loss. A similar condition, feline osteoclastic resorptive lesions (FORL), affects up to 70% of domestic cats and thus provides a valuable model for investigating the etiopathogenesis of MIRR. The aim of the present study was to establish changes in the surface microanatomy of the tooth in late stage FORL and to identify whether its location has a surface bias. METHODS: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the surface features of enamel and cementum of feline teeth affected with advanced FORL. RESULTS: Resorption involved the coronal root at the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) in 95% of teeth and focal resorption of intact enamel was observed in 14% of teeth. In 55% of teeth, the main lesion was on the buccal surface and a distinct circumferential resorption "front" was present at the apical margin of resorption. The root surfaces of most affected teeth either lacked extrinsic fibers or cellular lacunae or featured evidence of cementum remodeling. Woven bone-like tissue was found within lesions, on resorbed dentin, or on the root surface in 27% of teeth. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that most FORL involve the CEJ, and the presence of focal lesions at this site suggests that this is where resorption is initiated. This implies that local factors in the oral microenvironment play a role in the etiopathogenesis of this condition. The study also shows that FORL are more likely to occur on buccal surfaces and are associated with changes in the microarchitecture of the root surface consistent with destruction of the normal periodontal attachment and stimulation of a reparative response. These findings may be relevant to understanding the etiopathogenesis of multiple idiopathic resorption areas in man.

Four-point bending protocols to study the effects of dynamic strain in osteoblastic cells in vitro.

Strain engendered within bone tissue by mechanical loading of the skeleton is a major influence on the processes of bone modeling and remodeling and so a critical determinant of bone mass and architecture. The cells best placed to respond to strain in bone tissue are the resident osteocytes and osteoblasts. To address the mechanisms of strain-related responses in osteoblast-like cells, our group uses both in vivo and in vitro approaches, including a system of four-point bending of the substrate on which cells are cultured. A range of cell lines can be studied using this system but we routinely compare their responses to those in primary cultures of osteoblast-like cells derived from explants of mouse long bones. These cells show a range of well-characterized responses to physiological levels of strain, including increased proliferation, which in vivo is a feature of the osteogenic response.

Relationship between serum biomarkers of cartilage and bone metabolism and joint injury in young Thoroughbred racehorses in training.

OBJECTIVE: To compare serum concentrations of biomarkers of cartilage and bone metabolism between racehorses with a carpal or metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal (ie, fetlock) joint injury and matched uninjured control horses, determine changes in biomarker concentrations following joint injury, and establish the biomarkers' diagnostic test performance. ANIMALS: 50 Thoroughbred racehorses with a carpal or fetlock joint injury and 50 matched uninjured horses (control horses). PROCEDURES: Serum concentrations of 2 cartilage synthesis biomarkers (carboxy-terminal propeptide of type II collagen [CPII] and chondroitin sulfate epitope 846 [CS846]), 2 cartilage degradation biomarkers (neoepitope generated by collagenase cleavage of type II collagen [C2C] and cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide fragments of type II collagen [CTX-II]), and serum activity of a bone formation marker (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase [BAP]) were measured around the time of injury diagnosis and monthly thereafter for as long as possible. RESULTS: Injured horses as a group and horses specifically with fetlock joint injuries had significantly lower serum CPII concentrations and significantly higher serum BAP activities than matched control horses. Concentrations of CTX-II were decreased between 2 and 4 months following joint injury. Measurement of CPII concentration at baseline could distinguish between injured horses and control horses with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 50%. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although significant differences in specific biomarker concentrations between horses with carpal and fetlock joint injuries and matched control horses were identified, there was no convincing evidence of the suitability of these biomarkers as diagnostic or prognostic tools in a clinical setting.