We had previously identified the cDNA for a novel protein called osteoblast-specific factor 2 (OSF-2) from an MC3T3-E1 cDNA library using subtraction hybridization and differential screening techniques. Here we describe the localization, regulation, and potential function of this protein. Immunohistochemistry using specific antiserum revealed that in adult mice, the protein is preferentially expressed in periosteum and periodontal ligament, indicating its tissue specificity and a potential role in bone and tooth formation and maintenance of structure. Based on this observation and the fact that other proteins have been called OSF-2, the protein was renamed “periostin.” Western blot analysis showed that periostin is a disulfide linked 90 kDa protein secreted by osteoblasts and osteoblast-like cell lines. Nucleotide sequence revealed four periostin transcripts that differ in the length of the C-terminal domain, possibly caused by alternative splicing events. Reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that these isoforms are not expressed uniformly but are differentially expressed in various cell lines. Both purified periostin protein and the periostin-Fc recombinant protein supported attachment and spreading of MC3T3-E1 cells, and this effect was impaired by antiperiostin antiserum, suggesting that periostin is involved in cell adhesion. The protein is highly homologous to βig-h3, a molecule induced by transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) that promotes the adhesion and spreading of fibroblasts. Because TGF-β has dramatic effects on periosteal expansion and the recruitment of osteoblast precursors, this factor was tested for its effects on periostin expression. By Western blot analysis, TGF-β increased periostin expression in primary osteoblast cells. Together, these data suggest that periostin may play a role in the recruitment and attachment of osteoblast precursors in the periosteum.

Osteoclast progenitors differentiate into mature osteoclasts in the presence of receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) ligand on stromal or osteoblastic cells and monocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). The soluble RANK ligand induces the same differentiation in vitro without stromal cells. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), a potent cytokine involved in the regulation of osteoclast activity, promotes bone resorption via a primary effect on osteoblasts; however, it remains unclear whether TNF-α can also directly induce the differentiation of osteoclast progenitors into mature osteoclasts. This study revealed that TNF-α directly induced the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cells (MNCs), which produced resorption pits on bone in vitro in the presence of M-CSF. The bone resorption activity of TNF-α-induced MNCs was lower than that of soluble RANK ligand-induced MNCs; however, interleukin-1β stimulated this activity of TNF-α-induced MNCs without an increase in the number of MNCs. In this case, interleukin-1β did not induce TRAP-positive MNC formation. The osteoclast progenitors expressed TNF receptors, p55 and p75; and the induction of TRAP-positive MNCs by TNF-α was inhibited completely by an anti-p55 antibody and partially by an anti-p75 antibody. Our findings presented here are the first to indicate that TNF-α is a crucial differentiation factor for osteoclasts. Our results suggest that TNF-α and M-CSF play an important role in local osteolysis in chronic inflammatory diseases.

Osteoclasts are thought to belong to a macrophage lineage. However, the nature of common precursors of osteoclasts and macrophages remains to be investigated. We have characterized the differentiation potential of mouse bone marrow macrophages into mature osteoclasts. Monocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) stimulated the proliferation of bone marrow macrophages in a dose-dependent manner and these M-CSF-dependent bone marrow macrophage (MDBM) cells efficiently differentiated into the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts in the presence of soluble RANKL (sRANKL) and M-CSF in the in vitro culture. The macrophage-like cell line TMC16 was established from tsA58 (temperature-sensitive SV40 large T-antigen) transgenic mice in the same manner to the preparation of MDBM cells and also differentiated into mature osteoclasts. During this differentiation in vitro, the morphology of the cells changed from spindle to round and smaller (termed pOC) on day 2 and to multinuclear (termed multinucleated cells [MNCs]) on day 4. The surface expression of macrophage marker CD14 was down-regulated and that of CD43 was up-regulated on pOC, analyzed by flow cytometry. RNA analysis revealed that osteoclast marker genes such as calcitonin receptor (CTR), carbonic anhydrase II (CAII), cathepsin K (cath K), MMP9, and TRAP were strongly expressed in MNCs and weakly in pOC whereas MDBM cells did not express these genes. However, the osteopontin (OPN) gene was strongly expressed in MDBM cells and this expression became weakened after differentiation into pOC. The TMC16 cell line weakly expressed cath K, TRAP, and OPN, suggesting that the TMC16 cell line is immortalized at a stage slightly differentiated from MDBM cells. Furthermore, cell sorting analysis revealed that osteoclast early progenitors in bone marrow cells are preferentially present in the Mac-1− F4/80dull population, which differentiated into MDBM cells (the osteoclast progenitor) expressing Mac-1+ F4/80int, suggesting that M-CSF plays roles of a differentiation factor as well as a growth factor for osteoclast early progenitors. These results showed the transition of morphology, surface markers, and gene expression from the early to mature stage in osteoclast differentiation. We propose three differentiation stages in the osteoclast lineage: the pro-osteoclast (spindle-shaped macrophage cells), the pre-osteoclast (small round mononucleated TRAP-positive cells), and the mature osteoclast (multinucleated TRAP-positive cells) stage.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common and lethal heart disease, and the recruitment of fibroblastic cells to the infarct region is essential for the cardiac healing process. Although stiffness of the extracellular matrix in the infarct myocardium is associated with cardiac healing, the molecular mechanism of cardiac healing is not fully understood. We show that periostin, which is a matricellular protein, is important for the cardiac healing process after AMI. The expression of periostin protein was abundant in the infarct border of human and mouse hearts with AMI. We generated periostin^−/− mice and found no morphologically abnormal cardiomyocyte phenotypes; however, after AMI, cardiac healing was impaired in these mice, resulting in cardiac rupture as a consequence of reduced myocardial stiffness caused by a reduced number of α smooth muscle actin–positive cells, impaired collagen fibril formation, and decreased phosphorylation of FAK. These phenotypes were rescued by gene transfer of a spliced form of periostin. Moreover, the inhibition of FAK or αv-integrin, which blocked the periostin-promoted cell migration, revealed that αv-integrin, FAK, and Akt are involved in periostin signaling. Our novel findings show the effects of periostin on recruitment of activated fibroblasts through FAK-integrin signaling and on their collagen fibril formation specific to healing after AMI.