Adipocyte-induced transdifferentiation of osteoblasts and its potential role in age-related bone loss

Aline Clabaut, Céline Grare, Gaëlle Rolland-Valognes, Jean-Guillaume Letarouilly, Chantal Bourrier, Thomas Levin Andersen, Tanja Tvistholm Sikjær, Lars Rejnmark, Charlotte Albjerg Ejersted, Philippe Pastoureau, Pierre Hardouin, Massimo Sabatini, Odile Broux

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Abstract

Our preliminary findings have lead us to propose bone marrow adipocyte secretions as new contributors to bone loss. Indeed, using a coculture model based on human bone marrow stromal cells, we previously showed that soluble factors secreted by adipocytes induced the conversion of osteoblasts towards an adipocyte-like phenotype. In this study, microarray gene expression profiling showed profound transcriptomic changes in osteoblasts following coculture and confirmed the enrichment of the adipocyte gene signature. Double immunofluorescence microscopic analyses demonstrated the coexpression of adipogenic and osteoblastic specific markers in individual cells, providing evidence for a transdifferentiation event. At the molecular level, this conversion was associated with upregulated expression levels of reprogramming genes and a decrease in the DNA methylation level. In line with these in vitro results, preliminary immunohistochemical analysis of bone sections revealed adipogenic marker expression in osteoblasts from elderly subjects. Altogether, these data suggest that osteoblast transdifferentiation could contribute to decreased bone mass upon ageing.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0245014
JournalPLOS ONE
Volume16
Issue number1
Number of pages17
ISSN1932-6203
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26. Jan 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding: CentEx Biotechnology provided support for this study in the form of salaries for GRV and CB. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. The funder participated in study design, data collection and analysis, and preparation of the manuscript, but did not have a role in the decision to publish the manuscript.

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