The enzyme activity of lysosomal cysteine proteinases in vital rabbit osteoclasts and mouse osteoclast-like cells was visualized with Z-Leu-Arg-4-methoxy-beta-naphthylamide (Z-LR-MNA) as the enzyme substrate. The MNA liberated by proteolysis forms a fluorescent insoluble Schiff-base product in the presence of 5-nitrosalicylaldehyde. Many small fluorescent particles, endproducts of the Z-LR-MNA hydrolysis, were observed in proximity to the bone surface underneath the actively resorbing osteoclasts, as well as in the cytoplasm. The Z-LR-MNA hydrolase activity was markedly diminished by bafilomycin A1 and chloroquine treatment. Moreover, the activity was completely inhibited by cysteine proteinase inhibitors such as leupeptin and E-64d, but not by other classes of proteinase inhibitors. About 60% of the hydrolase activity in mouse osteoclast-like cells was immunoabsorbed by anti-cathepsin K antibody-coupled Sepharose CL-4B beads, and about 10% of the activity was absorbed with the anti-cathepsin L antibody-coupled beads. Thus, the majority of the Z-LR-MNA hydrolase activity in osteoclasts was derived from cathepsin K. In contrast, using the same substrate in the assay, no detectable cathepsin K activity was observed in mouse peritoneal macrophages. The abundant cathepsin K activity in osteoclasts would therefore indicate a significant role of this enzyme in bone matrix degradation.

Although Akt plays key roles in various cellular processes, the functions of Akt and Akt downstream signaling pathways in the cellular processes of skeletal development remain to be clarified. By analyzing transgenic embryos that expressed constitutively active Akt (myrAkt) or dominant-negative Akt in chondrocytes, we found that Akt positively regulated the four processes of chondrocyte maturation, chondrocyte proliferation, cartilage matrix production, and cell growth in skeletal development. As phosphorylation of GSK3beta, S6K, and FoxO3a was enhanced in the growth plates of myrAkt transgenic mice, we examined the Akt downstream signaling pathways by organ culture. The Akt-mTOR pathway was responsible for positive regulation of the four cellular processes. The Akt-FoxO pathway enhanced chondrocyte proliferation but inhibited chondrocyte maturation and cartilage matrix production, while the Akt-GSK3 pathway negatively regulated three of the cellular processes in limb skeletons but not in vertebrae due to less GSK3 expression in vertebrae. These findings indicate that Akt positively regulates the cellular processes of skeletal growth and endochondral ossification, that the Akt-mTOR, Akt-FoxO, and Akt-GSK3 pathways positively or negatively regulate the cellular processes, and that Akt exerts its function in skeletal development by tuning the three pathways in a manner dependent on the skeletal part.

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Cortactin stimulates cell migration, invasion, and experimental metastasis. However, the underlying mechanism is not still understood. In the present study, we therefore evaluated the possibility that cortactin could be appropriate as a molecular target for cancer gene therapy. In 70 primary oral squamous cell carcinomas and 10 normal oral mucosal specimens, cortactin expression was evaluated by immunological analyses, and the correlations of the overexpression of cortactin with clinicopathologic factors were evaluated. Overexpression of cortactin was detected in 32 of 70 oral squamous cell carcinomas; significantly more frequently than in normal oral mucosa. Cortactin overexpression was more frequent in higher grade cancers according to T classification, N classifications, and invasive pattern. Moreover, RNAi-mediated decrease in cortactin expression reduced invasion. Downregulation of cortactin expression 4 increased the expression levels of E-cadherin, β-catenin, and EpCAM. The siRNA of cortactin also reduced PTHrP expression via EGF signaling. These results consistently indicate that the overexpression of cortactin is strongly associated with an aggressive phenotype of oral squamous cell carcinoma. In conclusion, we propose that cortactin could be a potential molecular target of gene therapy by RNAi targeting in oral squamous cell carcinoma. 5