Dissection of platelet and myeloid cell defects by conditional targeting of the beta3-integrin subunit.

The purpose of this work was to determine platelet and myeloid cell-specific requirements for beta3-containing integrins in hemostasis, bone resorption, and tumor growth. LoxP-flanked mice were generated to study the conditional deletion of beta3-integrin in platelets [knockout in platelets (KOP)] and myeloid cells [knockout in myeloid (KOM)]. Using the beta3KOP and beta3KOM strains of mice, we studied the role of beta3-integrin in hemostasis, bone resorption, and subcutaneous tumor growth. Tissue-specific deletion of platelet beta3-integrins in beta3KOP mice did not affect bone mass but resulted in a severe bleeding phenotype. No growth difference of tumor xenografts or in neoangiogenesis were found in beta3KOP mice, in contrast to the defects observed in germline beta3(-/-) mice. Conditional deletion of myeloid beta3-integrins in beta3KOM mice resulted in osteopetrosis but had no effect on hemostasis or mortality. Tumor growth in beta3KOM mice was increased and accompanied by decreased macrophage infiltration, without increase in blood vessel number. Platelet beta3-integrin deficiency was sufficient to disrupt hemostasis but had no effect on bone mass or tumor growth. Myeloid-specific beta3-integrin deletion was sufficient to perturb bone mass and enhance tumor growth due to reduced macrophage infiltration in the tumors. These results suggest that beta3-integrins have cell-specific roles in complex biological processes.-Morgan, E. A., Schneider, J. G., Baroni, T. E., Uluçkan, O., Heller, E., Hurchla, M. A., Deng, H., Floyd, D., Berdy, A., Prior, J. L., Piwnica-Worms, D., Teitelbaum, S. L., Ross, F. P., Weilbaecher, K. N. Dissection of platelet and myeloid cell defects by conditional targeting of the beta3-integrin subunit.

Hedgehog signaling inhibition blocks growth of resistant tumors through effects on tumor microenvironment.

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is implicated in bone development and cellular transformation. Here we show that inhibition of Hh pathway activity inhibits tumor growth through effects on the microenvironment. Pharmacologic inhibition of the Hh effector Smoothened (Smo) increased trabecular bone in vivo and inhibited osteoclastogenesis in vitro. In addition, enhanced Hh signaling due to heterozygosity of the Hh inhibitory receptor Patched (Ptch1(+/-)) increased bone resorption, suggesting direct regulation of osteoclast (OC) activity by the Hh pathway. Ptch1(+/-) mice had increased bone metastatic and subcutaneous tumor growth, suggesting that increased Hh activation in host cells promoted tumor growth. Subcutaneous growth of Hh-resistant tumor cells was inhibited by LDE225, a novel orally bioavailable SMO antagonist, consistent with effects on tumor microenvironment. Knockdown of the Hh ligand Sonic Hh (SHH) in these cells decreased subcutaneous tumor growth and decreased stromal cell production of interleukin-6, indicating that tumor-derived Hh ligands stimulated tumor growth in a paracrine fashion. Together our findings show that inhibition of the Hh pathway can reduce tumor burden, regardless of tumor Hh responsiveness, through effects on tumor cells, OCs, and stromal cells within the tumor microenvironment. Hh may be a promising therapeutic target for solid cancers and bone metastases.

The ADP receptor P2RY12 regulates osteoclast function and pathologic bone remodeling.

The adenosine diphosphate (ADP) receptor P2RY12 (purinergic receptor P2Y, G protein coupled, 12) plays a critical role in platelet aggregation, and P2RY12 inhibitors are used clinically to prevent cardiac and cerebral thrombotic events. Extracellular ADP has also been shown to increase osteoclast (OC) activity, but the role of P2RY12 in OC biology is unknown. Here, we examined the role of mouse P2RY12 in OC function. Mice lacking P2ry12 had decreased OC activity and were partially protected from age-associated bone loss. P2ry12-/- OCs exhibited intact differentiation markers, but diminished resorptive function. Extracellular ADP enhanced OC adhesion and resorptive activity of WT, but not P2ry12-/-, OCs. In platelets, ADP stimulation of P2RY12 resulted in GTPase Ras-related protein (RAP1) activation and subsequent αIIbß3 integrin activation. Likewise, we found that ADP stimulation induced RAP1 activation in WT and integrin ß3 gene knockout (Itgb3-/-) OCs, but its effects were substantially blunted in P2ry12-/- OCs. In vivo, P2ry12-/- mice were partially protected from pathologic bone loss associated with serum transfer arthritis, tumor growth in bone, and ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis: all conditions associated with increased extracellular ADP. Finally, mice treated with the clinical inhibitor of P2RY12, clopidogrel, were protected from pathologic osteolysis. These results demonstrate that P2RY12 is the primary ADP receptor in OCs and suggest that P2RY12 inhibition is a potential therapeutic target for pathologic bone loss.

Interferon-gamma targets cancer cells and osteoclasts to prevent tumor-associated bone loss and bone metastases.

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) has been shown to enhance anti-tumor immunity and inhibit the formation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. We evaluated the role of IFN-gamma in bone metastases, tumor-associated bone destruction, and hypercalcemia in human T cell lymphotrophic virus type 1-Tax transgenic mice. Compared with Tax(+)IFN-gamma(+/+) mice, Tax(+)IFN-gamma(-/-) mice developed increased osteolytic bone lesions and soft tissue tumors, as well as increased osteoclast formation and activity. In vivo administration of IFN-gamma to tumor-bearing Tax(+)IFN-gamma(-/-) mice prevented new tumor development and resulted in decreased bromodeoxyuridine uptake by established tumors. In vitro, IFN-gamma directly decreased the viability of Tax(+) tumor cells through inhibition of proliferation, suppression of ERK phosphorylation, and induction of apoptosis and caspase 3 cleavage. IFN-gamma also inhibited macrophage colonystimulating factor-mediated proliferation and survival of osteoclast progenitors in vitro. Administration of IFN-gamma to C57BL/6 mice decreased Tax(+) tumor growth and prevented tumor-associated bone loss and hypercalcemia. In contrast, IFN-gamma treatment failed to protect IFN-gammaR1(-/-) mice from Tax(+) tumor-induced skeletal complications, despite decreasing tumor growth. These data demonstrate that IFN-gamma suppressed tumor-induced bone loss and hypercalcemia in Tax(+) mice by inhibiting both Tax(+) tumor cell growth and host-induced osteolysis. These data suggest a protective role for IFN-gamma in patients with bone metastases and hypercalcemia of malignancy.