IL-1β suppresses nephronectin expression in osteoblasts via ERK1/2 and JNK.

Nephronectin (Npnt), an extracellular matrix protein, is considered to play critical roles in development of various tissues and their functions. In basic science experiments, we found that interleukin-1β (IL-1β), well known to have an important role in inflammatory response, inhibited Npnt gene expression in MC3T3-E1 cells, a mouse osteoblastic cell line. The purpose of this study was to investigate mechanisms that govern the regulation of Npnt gene expression by IL-1β in osteoblasts.