Faculty Bibliography

Bone minerals are acquired during growth and are key determinants of adult skeletal health. During puberty, the serum levels of growth hormone (GH) and its downstream effector IGF-1 increase and play critical roles in bone acquisition. The goal of the current study was to determine how bone cells integrate signals from the GH/IGF-1 to enhance skeletal mineralization and strength during pubertal growth. Osteocytes, the most abundant bone cells, were shown to orchestrate bone modeling during growth. We used dentin matrix protein (Dmp)-1-mediated Ghr gene deletion in mice (DMP-GHRKO) to address the role of the GH/IGF axis in osteocytes. We found that DMP-GHRKO did not affect linear growth but compromised overall bone accrual. DMP-GHRKO mice exhibited reduced serum inorganic phosphate (Pi) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and decreased bone formation indices and were associated with an impaired response to intermittent PTH treatment. Using an osteocyte-like cell line along with in vivo studies, we found that PTH sensitized the response of bone to GH by increasing Janus kinase-2 and IGF-1R protein levels. We concluded that endogenously secreted PTH and GHR signaling in bone are necessary to establish radial bone growth and optimize mineral acquisition during growth.-Liu, Z., Kennedy, O. D., Cardoso, L., Basta-Pljakic, J., Partridge, N. C., Schaffler, M. B., Rosen, C. J., Yakar, S. DMP-1-mediated Ghr gene recombination compromises skeletal development and impairs skeletal response to intermittent PTH.

Humanin (HN) is an endogenous mitochondria-associated peptide that has been shown to protect against various Alzheimer disease-associated insults, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, and reactive oxygen species induced cell death. We have previously shown that HN improves whole body glucose homeostasis by improving insulin sensitivity and increasing glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) from the beta cells. Here, we report that intraperitoneal treatment with one of HN analogues, HNG, decreases body weight gain, visceral fat and hepatic triglyceride (TG) accumulation in high fat diet fed mice. The decrease in hepatic TG accumulation is due to increased activity of hepatic microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP) and increased hepatic TG secretion. Both intravenous (IV) and intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of HNG acutely increase TG secretion from the liver. Vagotomy blocks the effect on both IV and ICV HNG on TG secretion, suggesting that effects of HNG on hepatic TG flux are centrally mediated. Our data suggest that HN is a new player in central regulation of peripheral lipid metabolism.

Background: The hepatic stellate cells (HSC) play a major role in orchestrating the liver's fibrogenic (wounding) response and have been identified as an important player in the prometastatic microenvironment in the liver. Here we analyzed the role of the IGF axis in the recruitment and activation of HSC during the early stages of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) liver metastasis. Methods: Murine CRC MC-38 cells were inoculated via the intrasplenic/portal route into female mice with a conditional liver IGF-1 deletion (iLID), induced by a single tamoxifen (Tx) injection 2 days or 3 weeks earlier. Vehicle (sunflower oil) injected iLID mice or Tx - injected wild type mice were used as controls. Experimental liver fibrosis was achieved by repeated carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administration. The stromal response of the liver was analyzed using immunohistochemistry with emphasis on HSC recruitment and activation. In addition, in vitro assays were utilized to explore the role of IGF-1 in HSC activation. Results: In iLID mice treated with Tx, a 75% reduction in circulating IGF-1 levels could be observed within 24 hr and it persisted for the duration of the experiments. When injected with MC-38 cells, 3 weeks post Tx injection, these mice developed significantly fewer liver metastases than non-treated controls, while no reduction in the number of metastases was seen in WT mice injected with Tx or in oil-injected iLID controls. Interestingly, we observed that Tx treatment 48 hr prior to tumor injection, failed to reduce liver metastasis in iLID mice, although their circulating IGF-1 levels were markedly reduced, suggesting that the loss of direct paracrine IGF-1 effects on the tumor cells was not sufficient to inhibit tumor growth in the liver and that other effects on the hepatic microenvironment were at play. Analysis of HSC recruitment and activation subsequently revealed a significant reduction in HSC activation around micrometastases as compared to controls. This was evident as early as 3 days post tumor inoculation, persisted for the duration of the experimental period (16-18 days) and corresponded with reduced IGF-1 receptor and Akt activation in these cells. In vitro studies confirmed that IGF-1 could directly activate isolated HSC and rescue them from serum-depletion induced apoptosis. Finally, in iLID mice with sustained IGF-1 depletion, a significant reduction in HSC-mediated collagen deposition was observed following continuous treatment with CCl4, confirming the role of IGF-1 in HSC activation in a second tumor-free model. Conclusion: Our results show that a sustained reduction in circulating IGF-1 levels altered HSC recruitment and activation to tumor sites and reduced tumor cell growth in the liver. We identify IGF-1 as a regulator of HSC function and the response of the microenvironment to invading cancer cells, thereby affecting metastatic expansion

In lower or simple species, such as worms and flies, disruption of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and the insulin signaling pathways has been shown to increase lifespan. In rodents, however, growth hormone (GH) regulates IGF-1 levels in serum and tissues and can modulate lifespan via/or independent of IGF-1. Rodent models, where the GH/IGF-1 axis was ablated congenitally, show increased lifespan. However, in contrast to rodents where serum IGF-1 levels are high throughout life, in humans, serum IGF-1 peaks during puberty and declines thereafter during aging. Thus, animal models with congenital disruption of the GH/IGF-1 axis are unable to clearly distinguish between developmental and age-related effects of GH/IGF-1 on health. To overcome this caveat, we developed an inducible liver IGF-1-deficient (iLID) mouse that allows temporal control of serum IGF-1. Deletion of liver Igf -1 gene at one year of age reduced serum IGF-1 by 70% and dramatically impaired health span of the iLID mice. Reductions in serum IGF-1 were coupled with increased GH levels and increased basal STAT5B phosphorylation in livers of iLID mice. These changes were associated with increased liver weight, increased liver inflammation, increased oxidative stress in liver and muscle, and increased incidence of hepatic tumors. Lastly, despite elevations in serum GH, low levels of serum IGF-1 from 1 year of age compromised skeletal integrity and accelerated bone loss. We conclude that an intact GH/IGF-1 axis is essential to maintain health span and that elevated GH, even late in life, associates with increased pathology.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at greater risk of bone fractures than those without diabetes. Certain oral diabetic medications may further increase the risk of fracture. Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors are incretin-based therapies that are being increasingly used for the management of T2D. It has been hypothesized that these agents may reduce fracture risk in those with T2D. In this study, we used a mouse model of T2D to examine the effects of the DPP-IV inhibitor, MK-0626, on bone. METHODS: Male wild type (WT) and diabetic muscle-lysine-arginine (MKR) mice were treated with MK-0626, pioglitazone, alendronate or vehicle. The effects of treatment with MK-0626 on bone microarchitecture and turnover were compared with treatment with pioglitazone, alendronate and vehicle. Osteoblast differentiation was determined by alkaline phosphatase staining of bone marrow cells from WT and MKR mice after treatment with pioglitazone, MK-0626 or phosphate buffered saline. RESULTS: We found that MK-0626 had neutral effects on cortical and trabecular bone in diabetic mice. Pioglitazone had detrimental effects on the trabecular bone of WT but not of diabetic mice. Alendronate caused improvements in cortical and trabecular bone architecture in diabetic and WT mice. MK-0626 did not alter osteoblast differentiation, but pioglitazone impaired osteoblast differentiation in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the DPP-IV inhibitor, MK-0626, had no adverse effects on bone in an animal model of T2D or directly on osteoblasts in culture. These findings are reassuring as DPP-IV inhibitors are being widely used to treat patients with T2D who are already at an increased risk of fractures.

IGF-I is a critical regulator of skeletal acquisition, which acts in endocrine and autocrine/paracrine modes. In serum, IGF-I is carried by the IGF-binding proteins in binary complexes. Further stabilization of these complexes is achieved by binding to the acid labile subunit (ALS) in a ternary complex (of IGF-I-IGF-binding protein 3/5-ALS). Ablation of the Igfals gene in humans (ALS deficiency) and mice (ALS knockout [ALSKO]) leads to markedly decreased serum IGF-I levels, growth retardation, and impaired skeletal acquisition. To investigate whether hormonal replacement therapy would improve the skeletal phenotype in cases of Igfals gene ablation, we treated male ALSKO mice with GH, IGF-I, or a combination of both. Treatments were administered to animals between 4 and 16 weeks of age or from 8 to 16 weeks of age. Although all treatment groups showed an increase (20%) in serum IGF-I levels, there was no increase in body weight, weight gain, or bone length in either age group. Despite the blunted linear growth in response to hormone therapy, ALSKO mice treated with GH showed radial bone growth, which contributed to bone strength tested by 4-point bending. We found that ALSKO mice treated with GH showed increased total cross-sectional area, cortical bone area, and cortical thickness by microtomography. Dynamic histomorphometry showed that although GH and double treatment groups resulted in trends towards increased bone formation parameters, these did not reach significance. However, bone resorption parameters were significantly increased in all treatment groups. ALSKO mice treated between 4 and 16 weeks of age showed minor differences in bone traits compared with vehicle-treated mice. In conclusion, treatment with GH and IGF-I do not work synergistically to rescue the stunted growth found in mice lacking the Igfals gene. Although GH alone appears to increase bone parameters slightly, it does not affect body weight or linear growth.

Studies linking insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to age-related bone loss in humans have been reported but remain only correlative. In this investigation, we characterized the bone phenotype of aged WT C57BL/6J male mice in comparison to that of C57BL/6J mice with reduced serum IGF-1 levels arising from an igfals gene deletion (ALS knockout (ALSKO)). During the aging process, WT mice showed an increase in fat mass and decrease lean mass while ALSKO mice had stable lean and fat mass values. Skeletal analyses of femora from WT mice revealed an expansion of the marrow area and a significant accumulation of intracortical porosity associated with increased intracortical remodeling. In contrast, ALSKO mice showed only small age-related declines in the amount of cortical bone tissue and minimal intracortical porosity, at 2 years of age. Accordingly, mechanical tests of femora from 2-year-old WT mice revealed reduced stiffness and maximal load when compared to bones from ALSKO mice. We show here that lifelong reductions in serum IGF-1 compromise skeletal size in development leading to slender bones; they are also associated with decreased intracortical bone remodeling and preservation of bone strength during aging.

In this study, we investigated whether loss of GH receptor (GHR) signaling in postnatal skeletal muscle alters muscle mass and regenerative ability in adult mice and whether this was dependent on IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling. To do so, we used mouse models with skeletal muscle-specific loss of GHR signaling (mGHRKO), IGF-1R and insulin receptor signaling (MKR), or both GHR and IGF-1R/insulin receptor signaling (mGHRKO/MKR). We did not find a reduction in muscle cross-sectional area, fiber type composition, or response to pathological muscle injury in male mGHRKO and mGHRKO/MKR mice when compared with control and MKR mice, respectively. This could potentially be explained by unchanged skeletal muscle Igf-1 expression in mGHRKO and mGHRKO/MKR mice relative to control and MKR mice, respectively. Furthermore, MKR and mGHRKO/MKR mice, but not mGHRKO mice, demonstrated reduced fiber fusion after cardiotoxin injection, suggesting that IGF-1, and not GH, promotes fiber fusion in adult mice. In summary, our data suggest that GHR signaling in postnatal skeletal muscle does not play a significant role in regulating muscle mass or muscle regeneration. Additionally, in our model, muscle Igf-1 expression is not dependent on GHR signaling in postnatal skeletal muscle.