Osteocalcin (OCN), the most abundant non-collagenous protein in the bone matrix, is reported to be a bone-derived endocrine hormone with wide-ranging effects on many aspects of physiology, including glucose metabolism and male fertility. Many of these observations were made using an OCN-deficient mouse allele (Osc -) in which the 2 OCN-encoding genes in mice, Bglap and Bglap2, were deleted in ES cells by homologous recombination. Here we describe mice with a new Bglap and Bglap2 double knockout (dko) allele (Bglap/2 p.Pro25fs17Ter ) that was generated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. Mice homozygous for this new allele do not express full length Bglap or Bglap2 mRNA and have no immunodetectable OCN in their plasma. FTIR imaging of cortical and trabecular bone in these homozygous knockout animals finds alterations in the crystal size and maturity of the bone mineral, hydroxyapatite, compared to wild-type littermates; however, µCT and 3-point bending tests do not find differences from wild-type littermates with respect to bone mass and strength. In contrast to the previously reported OCN-deficient mice with the Oscallele, blood glucose levels and male fertility in the OCN-deficient mice with Bglap/2 pPro25fs17Ter allele did not have significant differences from wild-type littermates. We cannot explain the absence of endocrine effects in mice with this new knockout allele. Potential explanations include effects of each mutated allele on the transcription of neighboring genes, and differences in genetic background and environment. So that our findings can be confirmed and extended by other interested investigators, we are donating this new Bglap and Bglap2 double knockout strain to The Jackson Laboratory for academic distribution. Author SummaryCells that make and maintain bone express proteins that function locally or systemically. The former proteins, such as type 1 collagen, affect the material properties of the skeleton while the latter proteins, such as fibroblast growth factor 23, enable the skeleton to communicate with other organ systems. Mutations that affect the functions of most bone cell expressed proteins cause diseases that have similar features in humans and other mammals, such as mice; for example, brittle bone diseases for type 1 collagen mutations and hypophosphatemic rickets for fibroblast growth factor 23 mutations.Our study focuses on another bone cell expressed protein, osteocalcin, which has been suggested to function locally to affect bone strength and systemically as hormone. Studies using osteocalcin knockout mice led other investigators to suggest endocrine roles for osteocalcin in regulating blood glucose levels, male fertility, muscle mass, brain development, behavior and cognition. We therefore decided to generate a new strain of osteocalcin knockout mice that could also be used to investigate these non-skeletal effects.To our surprise the osteocalcin knockout mice we created do not significantly differ from wildtype mice for the 3 phenotypes we examined: bone strength, blood glucos...

Humans carrying homozygous loss-of-function mutations in the Wnt co-receptor LRP5 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5) develop osteoporosis and a defective retinal vasculature known as familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) due to disruption of the Wnt signaling pathway. The purpose of this study was to use CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to create strains of Lrp5-deficient rats and to determine whether knockout of Lrp5 resulted in phenotypes that model the bone and retina pathology in LRP5-deficient humans. Knockout of Lrp5 in rats produced low bone mass, decreased bone mineral density, and decreased bone size. The superficial retinal vasculature of Lrp5-deficient rats was sparse and disorganized, with extensive exudates and decreases in vascularized area, vessel length, and branch point density.This study showed that Lrp5 could be predictably knocked out in rats using CRISPR/Cas9, causing the expression of bone and retinal phenotypes that will be useful for studying the role of Wnt signaling in bone and retina development and for research on the treatment of osteoporosis and FEVR.

The study of galectin-3 is complicated by its ability to function both intracellularly and extracellularly. While the mechanism of galectin-3 secretion is unclear, studies have shown that the mutation of a highly conserved arginine to a serine in human galectin-3 (LGALS3-R186S) blocks glycan binding and secretion. To gain insight into the roles of extracellular and intracellular functions of galectin-3, we generated mice with the equivalent mutation (Lgals3-R200S) using CRISPR/Cas9-directed homologous recombination. Consistent with a reduction in galectin-3 secretion, we observed significantly reduced galectin-3 protein levels in the plasma of heterozygous and homozygous mutant mice. We observed a similar increased bone mass phenotype in Lgals3-R200S mutant mice at 36 weeks as we previously observed in Lgals3-KO mice with slight variation. Like Lgals3-KO mice, Lgals3-R200S females, but not males, had significantly increased trabecular bone mass. However, only male Lgals3-R200S mice showed increased cortical bone expansion, which we had previously observed in both male and female Lgals3-KO mice and only in female mice using a separate Lgals3 null allele (Lgals3). These results suggest that the trabecular bone phenotype of Lgals3-KO mice was driven primarily by loss of extracellular galectin-3. However, the cortical bone phenotype of Lgals3-KO mice may have also been influenced by loss of intracellular galectin-3. Future analyses of these mice will aid in identifying the cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to the Lgals3-deficient bone phenotype as well as aid in distinguishing the extracellular vs.intracellular roles of galectin-3 in various signaling pathways.