Metabolic acidosis increases intracellular calcium in bone cells through activation of the proton receptor OGR1.

Metabolic acidosis increases urine Ca without increasing intestinal absorption, leading to bone Ca loss. It is unclear how bone cells detect the increase in proton concentration. To determine which G protein-coupled proton sensing receptors are expressed in bone, PCR was performed, and products were detected for OGR1, TDAG8, G2A, and GPR4. We tested the hypothesis that the G protein-coupled proton sensor, OGR1, is an H(+)-sensing receptor in bone. To determine whether acid-induced bone resorption involves OGR1, we incubated mouse calvariae in neutral pH (NTL) or acidic (MET) medium +/- the OGR1 inhibitor CuCl(2). CuCl(2) decreased MET-induced Ca efflux. We used fluorescent imaging of perfused bone cells to determine whether MET increases Ca(i). Perfusion with MET induced a rapid, flow-independent, increase in Ca(i) in individual bone cells. To determine whether transfection of OGR1 into a heterologous cell type would increase Ca(i) in response to H(+), we perfused Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with mouse OGR1 cDNA. Perfusion with MET induced a rapid increase in Ca(i) in OGR1-transfected CHO cells. These data indicate that OGR1 induces an increase in Ca(i) in response to MET and is a prime candidate for an osteoblast proton sensor.