J Biol Chem, Vol. 274, Issue 33, 23249-23255, August 13, 1999
Parathyroid Hormone-(1-34) Enhances Aggrecan Synthesis via an
Insulin-like Growth Factor-I Pathway
Anita K.
Harvey,
Xiao-Peng
Yu,
Charles A.
Frolik, and
Srinivasan
Chandrasekhar
From the Endocrine Division, DC 0403, Lilly Research Laboratories,
Eli Lilly and Co., Indianapolis, Indiana 46285
During endochondral bone formation, the growth
plate chondrocytes proliferate, become hypertrophic, lose the cartilage
phenotype, undergo mineralization, and provide a scaffold upon which
subsequent longitudinal bone growth occurs. Parathyroid hormone (PTH),
a calcium-regulating hormone, and parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP), which shares several properties with PTH, have profound effects on skeletal growth and new bone formation. In order to define
further the mechanism by which PTH/PTHrP promotes the cartilage phenotype, chondrocytes isolated from the rib cages of developing rat
embryos were evaluated for the biosynthesis of aggrecan. Cells treated
with PTH-(1-34) for a 4-h period followed by a 20-h recovery period
showed a significant increase in cartilage proteoglycan (aggrecan)
synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Only N-terminally intact PTH and PTHrP were effective in stimulating aggrecan synthesis. Addition of a neutralizing antibody to insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) during PTH treatment resulted in the inhibition of
PTH-stimulated aggrecan synthesis, whereas the addition of a
neutralizing antibody to insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-2
(IGFBP-2) resulted in an increase in synthesis in both the control and
PTH-treated cells. In addition, PTH treatment resulted in an increase
in the mRNA for aggrecan, a reduction in IGFBP-3 mRNA, and no
discernible changes in IGF-I mRNA levels, which was complemented by
quantitative changes in IGFBP-3 and free IGF-I levels. The reciprocal
relationship in the expression of aggrecan and IGFBP was further
confirmed in chondrocytes from various gestational stages during normal development. Collectively, our results indicate that the effect of PTH
may be mediated at least in part through the regulation of the
IGF/IGFBP axis, by a decrease in the level of IGFBP-3, and an increase
in free IGF-I levels. It is likely that the local increase in IGF-I may
lead to an increase in cartilage type proteoglycan synthesis and
maintenance of the cartilage phenotype. The consequence of the
prolonged maintenance may be to halt mineralization while a new
scaffolding is created.
Copyright © 1999 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.