title: Immunological study on circulating murine osteoprotegerin/osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OPG/OCIF): possible role of OPG/OCIF in the prevention of osteoporosis in pregnancy.
abstract: Osteoprotegerin (OPG)/osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF) is a soluble member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family and plays a crucial role in the negative regulation of osteoclastic bone resorption. We have immunized OPG/OCIF knockout mice with murine rOPG/rOCIF and established a panel of hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to murine rOPG/rOCIF. Utilizing the mAbs, we developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems: one detecting both homodimeric and monomeric forms of murine OPG/OCIF and the other detecting only dimeric form of murine OPG/OCIF. With the aid of these ELISA systems we showed that OPG/OCIF is present mainly as a monomer in murine blood. The concentration of OPG/OCIF in normal mouse sera was approximately 500 pg/ml and there was no statistical difference in the serum concentration of OPG/OCIF among genders, age, and strains. Interestingly, the concentration of circulating OPG/OCIF in mouse markedly increased during pregnancy. The result indicated that circulating OPG/OCIF plays an important role in the protection of bone from excess resorption during pregnancy in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Life Science, Snow Brand Milk Products Company, Ltd., 519 Ishibashi-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi 329-0512, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Higashio
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morinaga
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tsuda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D019281:Dimerization; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood*; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015415:Biomarkers; D006023:Glycoproteins; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; C506031:Tnfrsf11b protein, mouse