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Projekt Druckansicht

Molekulare Skelettbiologie

Fachliche Zuordnung Orthopädie, Unfallchirurgie, rekonstruktive Chirurgie
Förderung Förderung von 2011 bis 2018
Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 200503595
 
Erstellungsjahr 2019

Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse

The integrity of the bone tissue is preserved by an ongoing bone remodeling. In this wellbalanced process, bone matrix is removed by osteoclasts followed by the deposition of bone matrix by osteoblasts. During aging, this system becomes dysfunctional and more bone is removed than laid down. This can cause osteoporosis and fragility fractures. The treatment of fragility fractures comprises the use of anti-resorptive drugs and medicines that favor osteoblast-mediated bone formation. The latter includes the administration of a recombinant fragment of human Parathyroid Hormone comprising the first 34 amino acids (PTH 1-34) and an antibody against the Wnt signaling inhibitor sclerostin (Scl-Ab). PTH mediates its anabolic effect in part by reducing the expression of sclerostin. In this project we identified the homeodomain protein TG-interacting factor 1 (Tgif1) as a novel regulator of bone remodeling and as an essential component of the PTH anabolic action. Deletion of TG-interacting factor 1 (Tgif1) impaired osteoblast differentiation and activity, leading to a reduced bone formation. Deletion of Tgif1 in osteoblasts also decreased bone resorption due to an increased secretion of Semaphorin 3E. Tgif1 was further identified as a PTH target gene and PTH treatment decreased sclerostin expression in Tgif1-deficient bones to a much lesser degree than in control cells, which abrogated its anabolic function. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are regulatory molecules that control protein abundance. We identified Tgif1 as a downstream target of miR-19a and miR-19b, which were also uncovered as novel mediators of the bone anabolic effects of both PTH treatment and the activation of the canonical Wnt pathway. Therapeutic inhibition of miR-19a/b enhanced the bone anabolic effect of PTH therapy and reduced the bone loss in a mouse model of osteoporosis. Finally, we showed that the expression of miR-19a and miR-19b is increased in patients with low bone mass. Thus, inhibition of miR-19a/b may constitute an innovative therapeutic approach to develop novel or enhance existing bone anabolic therapies for patients suffering from fragility fractures. A second part of the project focuses on breast cancer bone metastases, which often cause a debilitating non-curable condition with osteolytic lesions and muscle weakness. We determined the expression of sclerostin in metastatic breast cancer cells. Pharmacological inhibition of sclerostin using an anti-sclerostin antibody (Scl-Ab) reduced metastases and prevented the cancer-induced bone destruction by augmenting osteoblast-mediated bone formation and reducing osteoclast-dependent bone resorption. Furthermore, Scl-Ab treatment re-established the muscle function by reconstituting an aberrant NF-kB and p38 signaling in the muscle tissue and by restoring a cancer-mediated impairment of muscle regeneration. This also improved the health and expanded the life span of cancer-bearing mice. Altogether, in this project we unraveled novel molecular pathways regulating bone remodeling and cancerinduced bone destruction and identified innovative concepts for potential novel pharmacotherapies.

Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)

 
 

Zusatzinformationen

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