Receptor activity-modifying protein 1 regulates the phenotypic expression of BMSCs via the Hippo/Yap pathway.

Receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (RAMP1) might be a critical regulator during bone wound healing. However, the roles and mechanisms of RAMP1 in osteogenesis remain unclear. Here, we aimed to elucidate the role of RAMP1 and explore the effects of Yes-associated protein 1 (Yap1), an effector of the Hippo/Yap pathway, in this process. We used a RAMP1 overexpression lentiviral system in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), which enhanced RAMP1 expression in an effective, appropriate, and sustained manner. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assays and alizarin red staining showed that RAMP1 promoted osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs after calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) treatment (10  mol/L). Moreover, real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis indicated that RAMP1 upregulated the expression of osteogenic phenotypic markers (ALP, runt-related transcription factor 2, osteopontin; p < 0.05). To further uncover the mechanism of RAMP1 in osteogenic differentiation, we used verteporfin (10  mol/L) to block Yap1. Notably, verteporfin impaired RAMP1-induced osteogenesis. Taken together, our findings confirmed that RAMP1 is a key mediator of bone regeneration and indicate that RAMP1 promotes CGRP-induced osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs via regulation of the Hippo/Yap pathway.