CALCITONIN INHIBITS OSTEOPONTIN MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION IN ISOLATED RABBIT OSTEOCLASTS

Recent evidence indicates that osteopontin (Opn), one of the bone matrix proteins, plays an important role in the attachment of osteoclasts to bone matrix. Besides being elaborated by osteoblasts, this protein is also produced by osteoclasts. The present study was performed to examine the effect of calcitonin (CT) on Opn mRNA expression of isolated rabbit osteoclasis and to clarify the second messenger signaling of this effect. Eel CT inhibited Opn mRNA expression as well as bone-resorbing activity of isolated rabbit osteoclasts. Eel CT caused a transient increase in intracellular calcium followed by a sustained increase as well as an increase in cAMP production in these cells. Dibutyryl-cAMP (10(-4) M) and Sp-cAMPS (10(-4) M), an activator of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), as well as A23187 (10(-7) M), a calcium ionophore, and phorbol myristate acetate (10(-7) M), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC), caused a significant inhibition of Opn mRNA expression, and suppressed tone-resorbing activity of isolated osteoclasis. The present study is the first to demonstrate that CT inhibits Opn mRNA expression in isolated rabbit osteoclasis, presumably through the activation of PKA and calcium/PKC pathways, by which the bone-resorbing activity might be attenuated subsequently.