RNA interference-mediated knockdown of Smad1 inhibits receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand expression induced by BMP-2 in primary osteoblasts.

Objective: BMP-2 induces osteoblast differentiation and activates osteoclast formation. Here, we investigated the role of Smad1, a molecule that signals downstream of BMP-2, in mediating the effects of BMP-2 on osteoclast differentiation induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) in osteoblasts.

Design: The effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 and BMP-2 in osteoclasts were examined using polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting to measure changes in target gene and protein expression.

Expression patterns of CD66a and CD117 in the mouse submandibular gland.

The epithelial tissue of the salivary gland consists of the acinar and ductal parts, the latter of which is further divided into the intercalated, striated and excretory duct segments and is the residential site for salivary stem/progenitor cells. In the present study, the expression patterns of two cell surface molecules, CD66a and CD117, were investigated in the adult mouse submandibular glands (SMG) by immunofluorescence microscopy. Combinations of the two molecules differentially marked several types of SMG epithelial cells, including acinar cells (CD66a-intense, CD117-negative), intercalated duct cells (CD66a-intense, CD117-positive), a subset of the striated and excretory duct cells (CD66a-weak, CD117-positive).