Loss-of-function mutations in GLI3 and IHH cause craniosynostosis and reduced osteogenesis, respectively. In this study, we show that Ihh ligand, the receptor Ptch1 and Gli transcription factors are differentially expressed in embryonic mouse calvaria osteogenic condensations. We show that in both Ihh-/- and Gli3Xt-J/Xt-J embryonic mice, the normal gene expression architecture is lost and this ...

Human-induced pluripotent (iPS) cells can be induced to differentiate into osteoblasts, but the process is inefficient and time-consuming. Previous studies indicated a close association between the expression of Runx2 and osteoblast differentiation, and established that the transcriptional activation of the Runx2 gene was closely associated with histone acetylation. microRNA-449a (miR-449a) rep...

As part of its catabolic action in bone, parathyroid hormone (PTH) inhibits extracellular matrix mineralization. We previously showed that PTH dose-dependently induces matrix gla protein (MGP) expression in osteoblasts and this induction is at least partially responsible for PTH-mediated inhibition of mineralization. Recently, we identified PKA and ERK/MAPK as the key signaling pathways involve...

miRNAs are endogenously expressed 18- to 25-nucleotide RNAs that regulate gene expression through translational repression by binding to a target mRNA. Recently, it has been indicated that miRNAs are closely related to osteogenesis. Our previous data suggested that miR-30 family members might be important regulators during the biomineralization process. However, whether and how they modulate os...

OBJECTIVE Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and osterix (OSX) as two specific osteoblast transcription factors and distal-less homeobox 5 (DLX5) as a non-specific one are of paramount importance in regulating osteoblast related genes including osteocalcin, bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteopontin and collagen type Iα1. The present study sets out to investigate whether epigenetic regulatio...

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The aim of this study was to study the effects of various surface treatments to a titanium surface on the expression of Runx2 in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human Osteosarcoma TE-85 cells were cultured on machined, sandblasted, or anodic oxidized cpTi discs. At various times of incubation, the cells were collected and then processed for the analysis of mRNA expression of ...

The BMP signaling pathway has a crucial role in chondrocyte proliferation and maturation during endochondral bone development. To investigate the specific function of the Bmp2 and Bmp4 genes in growth plate chondrocytes during cartilage development, we generated chondrocyte-specific Bmp2 and Bmp4 conditional knockout (cKO) mice and Bmp2,Bmp4 double knockout (dKO) mice. We found that deletion of...

BMP2 (bone morphogenetic protein 2) is known to activate unfolded protein response signaling molecules, including XBP1S and ATF6. However, the influence on XBP1S and ATF6 in BMP2-induced chondrocyte differentiation has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that BMP2 mediates mild endoplasmic reticulum stress-activated ATF6 and directly regulates XBP1S splicing in the course of ...

OBJECTIVE Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous cytogenetic disorder in which clonal plasma cells proliferate in the bone marrow (BM) and cause bone destruction. The BM microenvironment plays a crucial role in pathogenesis of this disease, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the key players. Herein, we propose to investigate the expressions of hsa-MIR-204, runt-related transcription...

FAST and Runx (CBFa) transcription factors, which are expressed during specific phases of embryogenesis and tissue patterning, bind directly to Smad proteins and integrate effects induced by various TGF-beta gene family members. The DNA binding sequences for FAST and Runx differ only minimally. The isoform Runx2 (previously termed CBFa1) is highly expressed by osteoblasts and regulates expressi...