PURPOSE To determine the effect of fibronectin (FN)-conjugated, microgrooved titanium (Ti) on osteoblast differentiation and gene expression in human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS Photolithography was used to fabricate the microgrooved Ti, and amine functionalization (silanization) was used to immobilize fibronectin on the titanium surfaces. Osteobla...

Thyroid hormones influence both bone formation and bone resorption. In vitro studies demonstrate direct effects of thyroid hormones on cells of the osteoblast lineage. Transcriptional regulation by thyroid hormones is mediated by ligand-dependent transcription factors called TRs. The three main T(3)-binding TR isoforms are TRalpha1, TRbeta1, and TRbeta2. TRs have been identified in cells of the...

AIM The cysteine protease cathepsin K (CatK), abundantly expressed in osteoclasts, is responsible for the degradation of bone matrix proteins, including collagen type 1. Thus, CatK is an attractive target for new anti-resorptive osteoporosis therapies, but the wider effects of CatK inhibitors on bone cells also need to be evaluated to assess their effects on bone. Therefore, we selected, among ...

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that contributes to the lineage commitment and specific functions of different cell types. In this study, we compared ENCODE-generated genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of human osteoblast with 21 other types of human cells in order to identify osteoblast-specific methylation events. For most of the cell strains, data from two isogenic ...

Wnt regulates bone formation through β-catenin-dependent canonical and -independent noncanonical signaling pathways. However, the cooperation that exists between the two signaling pathways during osteoblastogenesis remains to be elucidated. Here, we showed that the lack of Wnt5a in osteoblast-lineage cells impaired Wnt/β-catenin signaling due to the reduced expression of Lrp5 and Lrp6. Pretreat...

The in vitro effect of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) on osteogenic and myogenic differentiation was examined in two clonal cell lines of rat osteoblast-like cells at different differentiation stages, ROB-C26 (C26) and ROB-C20 (C20). The C26 is a potential osteoblast precursor cell line that is also capable of differentiating into muscle cells and adipocytes; the C20 i...

The parafollicular-cell (C-cell) hormone calcitonin (CT) can preserve or even augment skeletal mass by inhibiting osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. The possibility of an additional anabolic skeletal influence has also been raised: C cells might, via CT or other secretory products, affect osteoblast-mediated bone formation. The 57-residue amino-terminal procalcitonin cleavage peptide, N-proCT...