Osteoclast-secreted Cthrc1 in the coupling of bone resorption to formation

Bone remodeling is characterized by the sequential, local tethering of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, and is key to the maintenance of bone integrity. While bone matrix-mobilized growth factors, such as TGF-, are proposed to regulate remodeling, no in vivo evidence exists that an osteoclast-produced molecule is the enigmatic coupling factor. We have identified Cthrc1, a protein secreted by mature bone-resorbing osteoclasts, that targets stromal cells so as to stimulate osteogenesis. The expression of Cthrc1 is robustly induced when mature osteoclasts are placed on dentin or hydroxyapatite, and also by increasing extracellular calcium. Cthrc1 expression in bone increases in a high turnover state, such as that which is induced by RANKL injections in vivo, whereas it decreases with aging or following alendronate treatment, conditions associated with suppressed bone turnover. The targeted deletion of the Cthrc1 gene eliminates Cthrc1 expression in bone, whereas its deficiency in osteoblasts does not exert any significant effect. Osteoclast-specific deletion of the Cthrc1 gene results in osteopenia due to reduced bone formation: it also impairs the coupling process following resorption induced by RANKL injections, with a resultant impairment of bone mass recovery. Thus, Cthrc1 is an osteoclast-secreted coupling factor that regulates bone remodeling and hence, skeletal integrity.

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