Regulation of collagen type I and biglycan mRNA levels by hormones and growth factors in normal and immortalized osteoblastic cell lines.

Growth factors, such as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and insulin-like growth factors (IGF) I and II, have been shown to exert anabolic effects on bone cells in vitro. Hormones, such as PTH and probably insulin and growth hormone, were recently shown to stimulate bone formation in vivo as well. The aim of the present study was to assess by northern blots, which were quantitated by densitometry, the effects of these anabolic growth factors and hormones in two osteogenic cell populations: CRP 10/30 cells, a clonal cell population derived from primary rat calvarial cells, and IRC 10/30-myc cells, which were established from CRP 10/30 by immortalization. Transcripts for alpha 1(I) collagen, biglycan, osteonectin, osteopontin, and osteocalcin were detected in both cell populations, which is consistent with the phenotype expressed by mature osteoblasts. There were no difference in the basal expression of bone matrix mRNAs between the two cell populations. PTH increased alpha 1(I) collagen mRNA levels in both osteoblastic cells but had no effect on the biglycan transcripts. Neither insulin nor growth hormone affected mRNA levels of either matrix protein after 24 h exposure. All three growth factors, TGF-beta, IGF-I, and IGF-II, increased alpha 1(I) collagen transcripts in a time- and dose-dependent manner in both cell populations. Biglycan mRNA levels were enhanced in both osteoblastic lines only by IGF-I and IGF-II, but not TGF-beta.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)