Calcitonin (CT) and parathyroid hormone (PTH), whose receptors belong to the same family of G proteincoupled receptors, share no amino acid sequence homology and selectively activate either CT or PTH receptors. We now show, however, that reciprocal hybrid ligands (CT/PTH and PTH/CT), which do not activate the "wildtype" receptors, activate PTH/CT and CT/PTH receptor chimeras, respectively. Our findings indicate that PTH and CT share a similar architecture with at least two functional, receptor-specific domains. These domains are sufficiently independent to permit synthetic hybrid ligands to efficiently activate appropriate receptor chimeras. Therefore, both ligands follow, despite their very different primary sequences, a common pattern of ligand-receptor interaction.The isolation of cDNAs encoding the receptors for secretin (1), calcitonin (CT) 1 (2), and parathyroid hormone (PTH)/PTHrelated peptide (PTHrP) (3, 4) established a new family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPRs) (5, 6). Members of this family, including some invertebrate receptors (7), 2,3 share, in addition to their overall structure with seven membrane-spanning helices, approximately 50 strictly conserved amino acids, including 8 important cysteines, an almost invariant amino acid sequence of the seventh membrane-spanning domain, and a similar intron/exon organization (10 -16). These findings suggest that this family of GPRs may have evolved from a common ancestral precursor. The ligands which activate these GPRs are similar in length, but lack, with the exception of the first 13 residues in PTH and PTHrP, any amino acid sequence homology. For both PTH-(1-34) and CT-(1-32), the importance of the amino terminus for bioactivity has been recognized, whereas the carboxyl-terminal portion contributes predominantly to receptor binding (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). Based on the limited data available, we and others had previously proposed that the carboxyl-terminal portion of these ligands determines specificity for the aminoterminal, extracellular receptor domains, while the amino termini of most ligands functionally interact with the membraneembedded receptor region (23-29). We have now tested this hypothesis more directly by constructing reciprocal chimeric ligands composed of portions of PTH and CT, and reciprocal chimeric receptors composed of portions of the PTH/PTHrP and CT receptor. These chimeras were designed such that the carboxyl-terminal portion of the ligand would match the aminoterminal, extracellular domain of the receptor, while the amino-terminal portion of the hybrid ligand would correspond to the membrane-embedded domains of the receptor and connecting loops. Our functional analysis of these hybrid ligands and chimeric receptors strengthens the proposed model of ligand-receptor interaction. Moreover, our studies imply that the receptors and their ligands are composed of functionally independent domains. ) were synthesized by the MGH Biopolymer Facility using Fmoc (N-(9-fluorenyl)methoxycarbonyl) technology (30). All peptides were H...

The transcription factor NFATc1 plays an essential role in transducing signals from RANKL in osteoclast differentiation. To date, however, the specific transcriptional targets of NFATc1 are unknown. Expression of the beta3 integrin is required for normal osteoclast function. We therefore examined the role of NFATc1 in human beta3 integrin expression in osteoclast differentiation. Analysis of the mouse and human beta3 gene promoters revealed considerable sequence homology across a 1.3 kb region upstream of the transcription start site (TSS), with conserved NFAT binding elements present. The region -1242 to +29 (relative to the TSS) was cloned as a luciferase reporter construct (pB3-1.3) and a deletion construct removing to -997 (pB3-1) made. The deletion of 245 bp 5' removed three conserved NFAT sites including a consensus NFAT:AP-1 site. The pB3-1.3 reporter construct was induced by treatment with RANKL in the range 2.5-40 ng/ml and dose-dependently induced by co-transfection with human NFATc1 in RAW264.7 cells. The pB3-1 deletion construct was minimally induced with RANKL treatment and unresponsive to co-transfected NFATc1. Direct NFAT binding to two of the consensus NFAT sites within this 245 bp 5' region was demonstrated by EMSA and supershift with anti-NFAT antibodies. Mutation of two of the conserved NFAT sites in the -1242 to -997 fragment was required to prevent binding. The double NFAT mutant, in the context of the full-length promoter was unresponsive to RANKL treatment or co-transfected NFATc1. We generated cell-permeable TAT-dominant-negative (dn)NFATc1 fusion proteins to assess the effect of blockade of NFAT signaling. Transduction with dnNFAT inhibited RANKL induction of the human beta3 integrin promoter. Involvement of the NFATc1-calcineurin pathway in regulating the human beta3 integrin promoter was further confirmed using the calcineurin pathway inhibitory peptide 11R-VIVIT. Together these results establish the beta3 gene as a direct target of NFATc1 in RANKL-dependent osteoclast formation.

A human ovarian small cell carcinoma line (BIN-67) expresses abundant calcitonin (CT) receptors (CTR) (143,000 per cell) that are coupled, to adenylate cyclase. The dissociation constants (Kd) for the CTrRs on these BIN-67 cells is -0.42 nM for salmon Cl and -4.6 nM for human CT. To clone a human CTR (hCTR), a BIN-67 cDNA library was screened using a cDNA probe from a porcine renal CTR (pClR) that we recently cloned. One positive clone of 3,588 bp was identified. Transfection of this cDNA into COS cells resulted in expression of receptors with high affinity for salmon CT (Kd = -0.44 nM) and for human CT (Kd = -5.4 nM). The expressed hCTR was coupled to adenylate cyclase. Northern analysis with the hCTR cDNA probe indicated a single transcript of -4.2 kb. The cloned cDNA encodes a putative peptide of 490 amino acids with seven potential transmembrane domains. The amino acid sequence of the hCTR is 73% identical to the pCTR, although the hCTR contains an insert of 16 amino acids between transmembrane domain I and II. The structural differences may account for observed differences in binding affinity between the porcine renal and human ovarian CI'Rs. The CTRs are closely related to the receptors for parathyroid hormoneparathyroid hormone-related peptide and secretin; these receptors comprise a distinct family of G protein-coupled seven transmembrane domain receptors. Interestingly, the hClTR sequence is remotely related to the cAMP receptor of Dictyostehlum discoideum (21% identical), but is not significantly related to other G protein-coupled receptor sequences now in the data bases. (J.

Expression of the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin is required for normal osteoclast function. We previously showed that an evolutionary conserved NFATc1 binding site is required for RANKL induction and NFATc1 transactivation of the human beta(3) promoter. The mechanism conferring specificity for RANKL induction and NFATc1 transduction of the beta(3) gene in osteoclast differentiation is unclear since NFATc1 is expressed and activated in numerous cell types that do not express the beta(3) gene. PU.1 is an ETS family transcription factor in myeloid cells associated with expression of various osteoclast genes. The present study investigates the role of NFATc1 in concert with PU.1 in osteoclast-specific transcription of the mouse beta(3) integrin gene. The mouse beta(3) promoter was transactivated by NFATc1 in RAW264.7 cells and deletion or mutation of either of the conserved NFAT and PU.1 binding sites abrogated transactivation. NFATc1 transactivation of the mouse beta(3) promoter was specifically dependent on co-transfected PU.1 in HEK293 cells, to the exclusion of other ETS family members. Direct binding of NFATc1 and PU.1 to their cognate sequences was demonstrated by EMSA and NFATc1 and PU.1 occupy their cognate sites in RANKL-treated mouse marrow precursors in chromatin immuno-precipitation (ChIP) assays. TAT-mediated transduction with dominant-negative NFATc1 dose-dependently blocked endogenous expression of the mouse beta(3) integrin and the formation of TRAP positive multinucleated cells in RANKL-treated mouse macrophages. These data provide evidence that NFATc1, in concert with PU.1, are involved in regulation of beta(3) integrin expression during osteoclast differentiation and suggest that PU.1 confers specificity to the NFATc1 response to macrophage lineage cells.

The signal transduction pathways of the recently cloned porcine kidney calcitonin (CT) receptor were evaluated. This receptor, when stably transfected into MC-3T3 cells, avidly bound salmon CT (SCT) [dissociation constant (Kd) = 4 nM]. Incubation with SCT resulted in a dose-dependent accumulation of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) [50% effective concentration (EC50) = 0.02 nM] in transfected cells (referred to as PC-1 cells). Binding kinetics and cAMP dose response relationships were similar to those of the native receptor in LLC-PK1 cells. PC-1 cells also responded to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), but the EC50 value for cAMP accumulation was more than three orders of magnitude higher than for SCT. Exposure of PC-1 cells to SCT (5 nM to 1 microM) produced a dose-dependent rise in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), whereas CGRP did not. The initial rise in [Ca2+]i was not dependent on extracellular Ca2+, suggesting that SCT induced release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. SCT also increased inositol trisphosphate production in PC-1 cells. In conclusion, the cloned, transfected porcine CT receptor functionally couples to and activates both adenylyl cyclase and phospholipase C. This dual coupling is also a characteristic of the parathyroid hormone receptor, which has significant homology in amino acid sequence with the CT receptor.

Two distinct calcitonin (CT) receptor (CTR)-encoding cDNAs (designated GC-2 and GC-10) were cloned and characterized from giant cell tumor of bone (GCT). Both GC-2 and GC-10 differ structurally from the human ovarian cell CTR (o-hCTR) that we cloned previously, but differ from each other only by the presence (GC-10) or absence (GC-2) of a predicted 16-amino acid insert in the putative first intracellular domain. Expression of all three CTR isoforms in COS cells demonstrated that GC-2 has a lower binding affinity for salmon (s) CT (Kd -15 nM) than GC-10 or o-hCTR (Kd -1.5 nM). Maximal stimulatory concentrations of CT resulted in a mean accumulation of cAMP in GC-2 transfected cells that was greater than eight times higher than in cells transfected with GC-10 after normalizing for the number of receptor-expressing cells. The marked difference in maximal cAMP response was also apparent after normalizing for receptor number. GC-2 also demonstrated a more potent ligand-mediated cAMP response compared with GC-10 for both human (h) and sCT (the EC5, values for GC-2 were -0.2 nM for sCT and -2 nM for hCT; EC50 values for GC-10 were -6 nM for sCT and 25 nM for hCT). Reverse transcriptase PCR of GCT RNA indicated that GC-2 transcripts are more abundant than those encoding for GC-10. In situ hybridization on GCT tissue sections demonstrated CTR mRNA expression in osteoclast-like cells. We localized the human CTR gene to chromosome 7 in band q22. The distinct functional characteristics of GC-2 and GC-10, which differ in structure only in the first intracellular domain, indicate that the first intracellular domain of the CTR plays a previously unidentified role in modulating ligand binding and signal transduction via the G protein/adenylate cyclase system. (J. Clin. Invest. 1995. 95:2680-2691

The inflammatory arthropathies that include rheumatoid arthritis, the seronegative spondyloarthropathies and systemic lupus erythematosus are characterised by marked alterations in the architecture and structural integrity of peri-articular bone; however, the pattern and natural history of the skeletal changes differs in these conditions. In part, this can be attributed to differences in the primary anatomical site of the inflammation, but also there is evidence that there are differences in the biological properties and products produced by inflammatory tissues. This review will focus on recent advances in the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to the differential pattern of articular bone remodelling in these prototypical inflammatory forms of arthritis.

While attachment to bone is required for optimal osteoclast function, the molecular events that underlie this fact are unclear, other than that the cell requires adhesion to mineralized matrix to assume a fully differentiated phenotype. To address this issue, we cultured murine bone marrow-derived osteoclasts on either cell culture plastic or devitalized mouse calvariae to identify the distinct genetic profile induced by interaction with bone. Among a number of genes previously unknown to be expressed in osteoclasts we found that Annexin A8 (AnxA8) mRNA was markedly up-regulated by bone. AnxA8 protein was present at high levels in osteoclasts present in human tissues recovered from sites of pathological bone loss. The presence of bone mineral was required for up-regulation of AnxA8 mRNA since osteoclasts plated on decalcified bone express AnxA8 at low levels as did osteoclasts plated on native or denatured type I collagen. Finally, AnxA8-regulated cytoskeletal reorganization in osteoclasts generated on a mineralized matrix. Thus, we used a novel approach to define a distinct bone-dependent genetic program associated with terminal osteoclast differentiation and identified Anxa8 as a gene strongly induced late in osteoclast differentiation and a protein that regulates formation of the cell's characteristic actin ring.