title: Biochemical characterization of human osteoclast integrins. Osteoclasts express alpha v beta 3, alpha 2 beta 1, and alpha v beta 1 integrins.
abstract: The study of osteoclast integrins has been previously hampered by the lack of a source of large numbers of purified osteoclasts. Osteoclastoma, a human giant cell tumor of bone, supplied a rich source of osteoclasts within a tissue containing many diverse cell types. Osteoclastoma integrin immunostaining confirmed the presence of the integrin alpha v beta 3 complex and the alpha 2 and beta 1 integrin subunits on osteoclasts. However, weak integrin expression, for example with alpha v beta 5, was difficult to interpret. Purification with magnetic beads coated with vitronectin receptor monoclonal antibody (13C2) enabled osteoclast membranes to be isolated with high purity and yield (57%) from osteoclastoma tissue. Positively (osteoclast-enriched) selected membranes were biochemically assessed for integrin expression by immunoprecipitation and visualization by non-radioactive enhanced chemiluminescence. alpha 1, alpha 4, alpha 6, alpha 8, alpha M, alpha X, gpIIb, beta 4, beta 6, and beta 8 integrin chains were undetectable at a sensitivity of 1 ng. alpha 3, alpha 5, alpha L, beta 2, and alpha v beta 5 were found in the negatively selected osteoclastoma tissue but not in the positively purified osteoclast membranes. The presence of alpha v beta 1 and alpha 2 beta 1 dimers was demonstrated biochemically on the immunoisolated osteoclast membranes. Osteoclast alpha v beta 3 isolation by Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) affinity chromatography for NH2-terminal amino acid sequencing confirmed that the osteoclast vitronectin receptor was identical to that previously characterized on other cell types. In situ hybridization using human alpha v riboprobes in osteoclasts from human and rodent bone further demonstrated the high level and specificity of expression of alpha v vitronectin receptor in osteoclasts.
authors.affiliation: Imperial Cancer Research Fund Haemopoiesis Research Group, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nesbitt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nesbit
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Helfrich
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horton
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005870:Giant Cell Tumors / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D016023:Integrins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011233:Precipitin Tests
chemical_list: D016023:Integrins