Osteopenla
in transgenic mice with osteoblast-targeted expression of the inducible camp
early repressor
Yu-Feng Huang
ICER is a member of the CREM
family of basic leucine zipper transcription factors that acts as a dominant
negative regulator of gene transcription. Four different isoforms of ICER(I, IƒÁ, II and IIƒÁ) are transcribed from the P2 promoter
of the Crem gene. We previously found that each of the ICER isoforms is induced
by parathyroid hormone in osteoblasts. That goal of the present study was to
assess the function of ICER in bone by overexpressing ICER in osteoblasts of
transgenic mine. ICER‡TcDNA,
containing an N-terminal FLAG epitope tag, was cloned downstream of a fragment
containing 3.6 kb of the rat Col1a1 promoter and most of the rat Col1a1 first
intron to produce pOBCol3.6-ICER I transgene, respectively. Multiple lines of
ICER‡Ttransgenic
mice had lower body weights and decreased bone mineral density of femurs and
vertebrae. Further studies were done with ICER ‡T transgenic mice, which had greatly reduced trabecular bone
volume and a markedly decreased bone formation rate in femurs. Osteoblast
differentiation and osteocalcin expression were reduced ex vivo bone marrow
cultures from ICER‡Ttransgenic
mice. ICER‡Tantagonized
the activity of ATF4 at its consensus DNA binding site in the osteocalcin
promoter in vitro. Thus, transgenic mice with osteoblast targeted
overexpression of ICER exhibited osteopenia caused primarily by reduced bone
formation. We speculate that ICER regulates the activity and/or expression of
ATF/CREB factors required for normal bone formation.