Insulin Potentiates the Proliferation and Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2-Induced Osteogenic Differentiation of Rat Spinal Ligament Cells via Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase

Spine ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (22) ◽  
pp. 2394-2402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai Li ◽  
Da Liu ◽  
Chang-Qing Zhao ◽  
Lei-Sheng Jiang ◽  
Li-Yang Dai
2006 ◽  
Vol 282 (7) ◽  
pp. 4983-4993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandini Ghosh-Choudhury ◽  
Chandi Charan Mandal ◽  
Goutam Ghosh Choudhury

Lovastatin promotes osteoblast differentiation by increasing bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) expression. We demonstrate that lovastatin stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of the p85 regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), leading to an increase in its kinase activity in osteoblast cells. Inhibition of PI3K ameliorated expression of the osteogenic markers alkaline phosphatase, type I collagen, osteopontin, and BMP-2. Expression of dominant-negative PI3K and PTEN, an inhibitor of PI3K signaling, significantly attenuated lovastatin-induced transcription of BMP-2. Akt kinase was also activated in a PI3K-dependent manner. However, our data suggest involvement of an additional signaling pathway. Lovastatin-induced Erk1/2 activity contributed to BMP-2 transcription. Inhibition of PI3K abrogated Erk1/2 activity in response to lovastatin, indicating the presence of a signal relay between them. We provide, as a mechanism of this cross-talk, the first evidence that lovastatin stimulates rapid activation of Ras, which associates with and activates PI3K in the plasma membrane, which in turn regulates Akt and Erk1/2 to induce BMP-2 expression for osteoblast differentiation.


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