Lipids play a crucial role in signaling and metabolism, regulating the development and maintenance of the skeleton. Membrane lipids have been hypothesized to act as intermediates upstream of orphan phosphatase 1 (PHOSPHO1), a major contributor to phosphate generation required for bone mineralization. Here, we spatially resolve the lipid atlas of the healthy mouse knee and demonstrate the effects of PHOSPHO1 ablation on the growth plate lipidome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPreventing SARS-CoV-2 infection by modulating viral host receptors, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), could represent a new chemoprophylactic approach for COVID-19 that complements vaccination. However, the mechanisms that control the expression of ACE2 remain unclear. Here we show that the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a direct regulator of ACE2 transcription in several tissues affected by COVID-19, including the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) often present with skeletal abnormalities, a condition known as renal osteodystrophy (ROD). While tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) and PHOSPHO1 are critical for bone mineralization, their role in the etiology of ROD is unclear. To address this, ROD was induced in both WT and Phospho1 knockout (P1KO) mice through dietary adenine supplementation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe autonomic nervous system is a master regulator of homeostatic processes and stress responses. Sympathetic noradrenergic nerve fibers decrease bone mass, but the role of cholinergic signaling in bone has remained largely unknown. Here, we describe that early postnatally, a subset of sympathetic nerve fibers undergoes an interleukin-6 (IL-6)-induced cholinergic switch upon contacting the bone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFShort stature and osteoporosis are common in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and its pathophysiology may include an abnormality of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) axis, which is further exacerbated by long-term glucocorticoid (GC) treatment. Hence, an agent that has anabolic properties and may improve linear growth would be beneficial in this setting and therefore requires further exploration. A 5-week-old x-linked muscular dystrophy (mdx) mice were used as a model of DMD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomineralization is a fundamental process key to the development of the skeleton. The phosphatase orphan phosphatase 1 (PHOSPHO1), which likely functions within extracellular matrix vesicles, has emerged as a critical regulator of biomineralization. However, the biochemical pathways that generate intravesicular PHOSPHO1 substrates are currently unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSupraphysiological levels of the osteoblast-enriched mineralization regulator ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase or phosphodiesterase-1 (NPP1) is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We determined the impact of osteoblast-specific Enpp1 ablation on skeletal structure and metabolic phenotype in mice. Female, but not male, 6-week-old mice lacking osteoblast NPP1 expression (osteoblast-specific knockout [KO]) exhibited increased femoral bone volume or total volume (17.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe physiological mineralisation of skeletal tissues, as well as the pathological mineralisation of soft tissues involves a fine balance between regulators that either promote or inhibit the process. In recent years, several studies have advocated a non-skeletal role for some of these mineralisation regulators in a range of human diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and neurodegenerative disease. This is an emerging area of interest and the functional roles and mechanisms of action of these various endocrine factors, phosphatases and phosphodiesterase's in important pathologies are the focus of this review.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFE11/Podoplanin (Pdpn) is implicated in early osteocytogenesis and the formation of osteocyte dendrites. This dendritic network is critical for bone modelling/remodelling, through the production of receptor activator of nuclear factor κ B (RANK)-ligand (RANKL). Despite this, the role of Pdpn in the control of bone remodelling is yet to be established in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe muscular dystrophy X-linked () mouse is commonly used as a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Its phenotype is, however, mild, and other mouse models have been explored. The mouse carries a human-like mutation in the gene and has a severe muscle phenotype, but its growth and bone development are unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince its characterization two decades ago, the phosphatase PHOSPHO1 has been the subject of an increasing focus of research. This work has elucidated PHOSPHO1's central role in the biomineralization of bone and other hard tissues, but has also implicated the enzyme in other biological processes in health and disease. During mineralization PHOSPHO1 liberates inorganic phosphate (P) to be incorporated into the mineral phase through hydrolysis of its substrates phosphocholine (PCho) and phosphoethanolamine (PEA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Subchondral bone (SCB) thickening is one of the earliest detectable changes in osteoarthritic joints and is considered a potential trigger for subsequent articular cartilage degeneration. In this manuscript, we examine whether disruption to the SCB osteocyte network contributes to the initiation and pathogenesis of osteoarthritis.
Methods: We examined expression patterns of the glycoprotein E11/podoplanin by immunohistochemical labelling in murine, human and canine osteoarthritis models.
Many histological methods in forensic anthropology utilize combinations of traditional histomorphometric parameters which may not accurately describe the morphology of microstructural features. Here, we report the novel application of a geometric morphometric method suitable when considering structures without anatomically homologous landmarks for the quantification of complete secondary osteon size and morphology. The method is tested for its suitability in the measurement of intact secondary osteons using osteons digitized from transverse femoral diaphyseal sections prepared from two human individuals.
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