Thyroid hormone stimulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and cell proliferation in human osteoblast-like cells is initiated at integrin αvβ3

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine whether triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) or L-thyroxine (T4) rapidly activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) intracellular signalling cascade in osteoblast-like cells and investigate whether this activation was initiated at the integrin αvβ3 cell surface receptor. Using PCR and western blotting, the expression of integrin αvβ3 mRNA and protein was demonstrated in the human osteoblast-like cell lines MG-63 and SaOS-2. The treatment of MG-63 cells with T3 (10 nM) or T4 (100 nM) for 10 min stimulated extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity (ERK, a component of the MAPK pathway) as determined by fluorescent immunocytochemistry and an immunocomplex activity assay (T3 by 10.7-fold, P<0.01 and T4 by 10.4-fold, P<0-01 compared with control). T3 (10 nM) and T4 (100 nM) also significantly stimulated thymidine incorporation into MG-63 cells by 2.3±0.7-fold (P<0.01) and 2.1±0.1-fold (P<0.05) respectively. To establish whether transient ERK activation via the integrin αvβ 3 cell surface receptor mediated these effects, MG-63 cells were pretreated for 30 min with the specific MAPK kinase inhibitor, U0126 (1 μM), or an anti-integrin α vβ3-blocking antibody. Both pretreatments significantly inhibited T3- and T4-stimulated ERK activation and abolished T3-stimulated thymidine incorporation (P<0.01). T4-stimulated incorporation was significantly inhibited from 2.1- to 1.3-fold above control (P<0.05). Thus, our results suggest that T3 and T4 rapidly stimulate ERK activation in MG-63 cells via integrin αvβ3 and that one functional effect of this ERK activation is increased DNA synthesis. © 2008 Society for Endocrinology.