Ahr and Osteoporosis

描述（由申请人提供）：吸烟者患有严重骨质疏松症，因此骨骼骨折的风险非常高。然而，吸烟导致骨质流失的机制尚不清楚。我们发现BaP（苯并[a]芘）和TCDD（2,3,7,8-四氯二苯并-对二恶英）是香烟烟雾中发现的200多种已知化学物质中的两种，它们会触发芳烃受体（Ahr）和细胞色素P450 （Cyp1）酶来刺激骨去除。尽管有这些观察结果，我们的理解仍然存在一些差距。首先，我们不确定哪个骨细胞，破骨细胞，成骨细胞或骨细胞，主要介导这一作用。因此，在Specific Aim 1中，我们将研究Ahr基因在每种细胞类型中选择性缺失的小鼠的骨表型，然后研究Ahr激动剂BaP和TCDD对骨量和重塑的影响。其次，我们不清楚Ahr激动剂的破骨细胞刺激作用是否涉及线粒体或微粒体Cyp1s的激活，以及由此产生的活性氧（ROS）是否介导了这一作用。因此，在特异性目标2中，我们将在线粒体或微粒体中表达Cyp1蛋白的敲入小鼠中施用BaP和/或TCDD。我们将对他们的骨骼进行表型分析，并在分离的骨髓细胞中研究ROS的产生。我们之前的研究进一步表明，ROS激活线粒体到细胞核的信号，产生促破骨细胞生成足迹，包括CREB、C/EBPδ、NF-κB、NFAT2和hnRNPA2。在Specific Aim 3中，我们将确定这种转录足迹是否被Ahr激动剂激活。如果是这样，我们将利用siRNA和/或化学抑制剂来验证每个分子的作用，以及启动子报告子测定和ChIP来确认足迹可激活破骨细胞基因表达。这些研究将确立Ahr作为骨质疏松症的治疗靶点，并至少在一定程度上揭示吸烟者骨质疏松症的分子基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cigarette smokers suffer from severe osteoporosis, and are therefore at an exceptionally high risk of skeletal fracture. However, the mechanism through which smoke causes bone loss remains unclear. We find that BaP (benzo[a]pyrene) and TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin), two of over 200 known chemicals found in cigarette smoke, trigger the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) and the cytochrome P450 (Cyp1) enzymes to stimulate bone removal. Despite these observations, several gaps in our understanding remain. First, we are uncertain which bone cell, osteoclast, osteoblast or osteocyte, primarily mediates this action. Therefore, in Specific Aim 1, we will study the bone phenotype of mice in which the Ahr gene is deleted selectively in each cell type, and then examine the effect of the Ahr agonists BaP and TCDD on skeletal mass and remodeling. Second, we are unclear whether the osteoclast-stimulatory action of Ahr agonists involves the activation of mitochondrial or microsomal Cyp1s, and whether the reactive oxygen species (ROS) so produced mediate this action. Therefore, in Specific Aim 2, we will administer BaP and/or TCDD to knock-in mice expressing Cyp1 proteins either in mitochondria or in microsomes. We will phenotype their skeletons and study ROS production in isolated bone marrow cells. Our previous studies have further shown that ROS activate mitochondria-to-nucleus signals to generate a pro-osteoclastogenic footprint comprising CREB, C/EBPδ, NF-κB, NFAT2, and hnRNPA2. In Specific Aim 3, we will determine whether this transcriptional footprint is activated by Ahr agonists. If so, we will utilize siRNA and/or chemical inhibitors to validate the role of each molecule, as well as promoter-reporter assays and ChIP to confirm that the footprint transactivates osteoclast gene expression. These studies should establish the Ahr as a therapeutic target for osteoporosis and unravel, at least to an extent, the molecular basis underlying the osteoporosis noted in smokers.