Papers In Press, published online ahead of print December 17, 2007
J. Biol. Chem, 10.1074/jbc.M705092200
Submitted on June 21, 2007
Accepted on December 17, 2007
Mechanical stimulation of bone in vivo reduces osteocyte expression of Sost/sclerostin
Alexander G Robling, Paul J Niziolek, Lee A Baldridge, Keith W Condon, Matthew J. Allen, Imranul Alam, Sara M Mantila, Jelica Gluhak-Heinrich, Teresita M Bellido, Stephen E Harris, and Charles H Turner
Dept of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Corresponding Author: arobling{at}iupui.edu
Sclerostin, the protein product of the Sost gene, is a potent inhibitor of bone formation. Among bone cells, sclerostin is found nearly exclusively in the osteocytes, the cell type that historically has been implicated in sensing and initiating mechanical signaling. The recent discovery of sclerostins antagonistic effects on Lrp5 receptor signalinga crucial mediator of skeletal mechanotransductionprovides a potential mechanism for the osteocytes to control mechanotransduction, by adjusting their sclerostin (Wnt inhibitory) signal output to modulate Wnt signaling in the effector cell population. We investigated the mechano-regulation of Sost and sclerostin under enhanced (ulnar loading) and reduced (hindlimb unloading) loading conditions. Sost transcripts and sclerostin protein levels were dramatically reduced by ulnar loading. Portions of the ulnar cortex receiving a greater strain stimulus were associated with a greater reduction in Sost staining intensity and sclerostin-positive osteocytes (revealed via in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, respectively) than were lower-strain portions of the tissue. Hindlimb unloading yielded a significant increase in Sost expression in the tibia. Modulation of sclerostin levels appears to be a finely-tuned mechanism by which osteocytes coordinate regional and local osteogenesis in response to increased mechanical stimulation, perhaps via releasing the local inhibition of Wnt/Lrp5 signaling.